EU to Give Emergency Aid, Help Greece Cope with Migrants

Local Editor

The European Union will Wednesday announce plans for emergency aid to Greece which is struggling to cope with an influx of migrants with thousands stuck in misery at its border after Balkan states tightened their frontiers.

Greece asked for around 480 million euros to help shelter 100,000 refugees as Europe faces its biggest wave of refugees since World War II in a crisis that has sown deep discord and threatened the bloc's solidarity.

Relatively, NATO's top General Philip Breedlove warned that the massive flow of people into the EU particularly from war-torn Syria has had a destabilizing effect.
Greece has been struggling to cope with the influx of migrants who have been arriving en masse from neighboring Turkey.

For his part, EU humanitarian aid commissioner Christos Stylianides said on Twitter that he would Wednesday propose "an instrument for emergency assistance inside the EU." He confirmed that "Greece asks for more assistance for stranded refugees ... I call on all member states to contribute further."

The money will come from aid funds that would normally be spent on humanitarian emergencies outside the bloc.

In parallel, a Greek source told AFP that about half the total would go on accommodating 50,000 refugees in camps while the rest would go on hotels and lodgings.

In addition, Greece said looking after the migrants will require around 8,200 officials -- police, firemen, medical staff, field workers and translators.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team