The German government does not respect the commitments to Greece regarding the relocation of refugees. By the middle of December, Germany had received only 5.332 refugees from Greece. According to the European Council decisions in 2015, Germany was obliged to accept 17.209 people.

This comes from a response from the German Foreign Ministry to a official question by Green Member Philippe Polat. As Mrs Polat said in the RND, “Germany will have to honor its commitments. The German government has undertaken obligations towards Greece”.

The explanations of the German Foreign Ministry

The German Foreign Ministry explains in its reply that the number agreed at the European Council in 2015 was based on a case that was not confirmed. Following the EU-Turkey agreement in 2016, fewer refugees arrive in the Greek islands than originally expected.

It was also agreed that the resettlement program would only include people with nationalities whose refugee status across the EU would be at least 75%. A high rate of acceptance of asylum applications is found above all in the case of the Syrians. The German Foreign Ministry argues that only about 500 people in Greece fall under this category, and refers to European Commission numbers.

However, according to data released by the UNHCR delegation in Athens on Friday, there is a different picture regarding the number of people with a high percentage of asylum applications: since July they have reached Lesbos, Chios and Samos about 19.800 refugees with 1.700 people in December alone. More than 70% of all arrivals are Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans.