Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in Brussels on Thursday morning that the migration issue is a European issue and this is something that Europe has finally understood. He said that the emergency meeting of leaders of EU member states on how to handle the refugee crisis was a “positive step” towards finding a “European solution”, adding that the European union could not operate on the rationale that “each member should look after its own borders”. He called for putting “people first, then the economy.”

Tsipras confirmed that welcome centers would be set up at border countries to register and house refugees will be put in place by the end of November. He pointed out the importance of collaborating with transit countries, such as Turkey. On their part, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker would host a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 5 to discuss ways to control the outflow of migrants from Turkey to Greece.

Eu leaders decided, following the meeting that began on Wednesday, to benchmark 1 bln euros for the UN in an effort to keep Syrian refugees in the Middle East. Furthermore, the EU leaders agreed to tighten controls at EU borders with personnel funded by the EU.