EU Summit on refugee to take place in Brussels on Monday is expected to be dramatic for Greece.
A close associate of Prime Minister told reporters: “Closing borders is irreversible at this phase” admitting that the decision has been taken before summit has even started.
What is expected to be announced is that EU has decided to turn Greece into a vast hotspot, as the draft brought to light mentions. However, according to ZDF citing German government sources, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is not willing to accept the decision to close the Western Balkan route.
The draft conclusions expected to be signed by EU leaders mention that Europe will seal its borders with Greece: ‘Irregular flows of migrants along the Western Balkans route are coming to an end; this route is now closed’.
The draft also pledges that the EU will “stand by Greece in this difficult moment and will do its utmost to help manage the situation”.
“This is a collective EU responsibility requiring fast and efficient mobilisation,” it adds.
It statement says that aid to Greece should center on “urgent humanitarian aid as well as managing its borders and making sure that migrants not in need of international protections are quickly returned to Turkey”.
Moreover, it calls member states to urgently provide more refugee and immigrant resettlement places, while it also mentions that there will be an immediate intervention if new routes emerge.
The statement concludes saying that all decisions taken will be reviewed at the European Council to take place in June.
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