EU Warns Of Surge In Asylum Seekers From Turkey
Faizan Hashmi Published May 16, 2018 | 05:10 PM
Brussels, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2018 ) :The EU warned Wednesday that asylum seeker arrivals from Turkey have surged this year and called on member countries to act urgently on pledges of support for the bloc's border force.
The European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, said 15,457 people had arrived via Turkey on Greece's sea and land borders through March, nine times higher than the same period last year.
But it said the numbers of Syrians and others are still "drastically lower" than before a cooperation deal with Turkey in 2016, which Brussels said is still working despite diplomatic tensions with Ankara.
"In the last years, important progress has been made both within the EU and with our partner countries," EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said. "However, the situation is still fragile and our work is far from over," said Avramopoulos.
He said 6,623 people had arrived in Spain in the first three months of the year, up 22 percent over last year, though numbers from Libya to Italy had sharply declined. "This is why I call on member states to urgently send border guards and equipment for the European Border and Coast Guard operations," the former Greek minister said.
The commission said the EU border agency is supporting national border guards with around 1,500 personnel along all migratory routes.
It said the agency is ready to bolster its presence on the Greek-Turkish land border and offered to triple deployments at Greece's land borders with Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where increases have occurred recently.
The commission said it is negotiating deals with non-EU western Balkan countries to allow the agency to help them manage their borders. However, it warned the agency was only meeting less than half of its operational needs because of "persistent and significant gaps in personnel and equipment".
For the bloc's 2021-2027 budget, the commission has proposed significant funding increases for border management and to boost the border force to 10,000 personnel. The commission said the numbers of Africans and others arriving from Libya, the jumping board to Italy, has decreased by 77 percent over the same period last year.
Like Turkey, the EU struck an aid-for-cooperation deal with Libya. Europe has been coping with its worst migration crisis since World War II, but has sharply cut numbers since its 2015 peak when 1.2 million arrived in the block. Around 1,000 a day arrived in Greece in the summer of 2015.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Nawaz Sharif to visit Guangzhou exhibition in China
FM Dar not traveling to China: Foreign Office
PM takes notice of deliberate delay in tax cases
Iranian President visits Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum
Iranian President arrives in Lahore today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 23 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 23 April 2024
Islam enlightened world with its teachings about knowledge: Dr Jamileh
Record London close as oil prices drop on easing Middle East fears
TV tower in Kharkiv struck as Russia captured village
LCCI language courses from May 1
Governor for service oriented governance in Punjab
More Stories From World
-
Taiwan hit by dozens of strong aftershocks from deadly quake
4 minutes ago -
Ambassador Hashmi visits Linyi city in Shandong province
24 minutes ago -
Norway women bring seaweed to culinary heights in Europe
34 minutes ago -
Ukrainian agriculture minister suspected in corruption scandal
54 minutes ago -
China issues highest-level rainstorm warning after deadly floods
54 minutes ago -
London stock market hits record high
1 hour ago
-
Five migrants die attempting Channel crossing: French police source
1 hour ago -
Migrant detentions set to begin after parliament passes UK-Rwanda plan
2 hours ago -
China slams US claims it is fuelling Ukraine war
2 hours ago -
More than 50,000 displaced by clashes in northern Ethiopia: UN
2 hours ago -
N. Korea's Kim oversees 'nuclear counterattack' drill
2 hours ago -
Council of Europe calls on UK to scrap Rwanda migrant plan
2 hours ago