EC progress report: Pace of refugee relocation to EU countries very slow

Reports notes some progress, but still lacking

According to the latest European Commission progress report on the refugee crisis, the relocation process of refugees into EU countries from Greece and Italy is moving at a very slow pace. The report acknowledges that there has been some positive signs and relative progress on the relocation front, however it notes that the desired levels have not yet been achieved. EU member states managed to increase the reception of refugees by 776 people, which is recognised as a positive step, but it is way off the target of the 6,000 set by the EC, and promised by Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos. Based on the current data, 3,056 people have been transferred to EU countries, 2,213 from Greece and 843 from Italy since the implementation of the relocation scheme. The EC plan aims to relocate a total of 120,000 people from the two Mediterranean countries the rest of Europe. In the meantime, an additional 802 Syrian refugees were resettled from Turkey to the EU under the agreed resettlement plan. Commissioner Avramopoulos welcomed the increased efforts made member states over the past months to receive refugees.