Europe



According to the latest media reports, some EU officials are proposing a plan to prevent Middle Eastern and African migrants from reaching Germany from Greece via the Balkans.

EU could temporarily exclude Greece from Schengen zone.

EU could temporarily exclude Greece from Schengen zone. Image by Trine Juel / CC BY 2.0

The plan calls for exclusion of Greece from the Schengen zone for a period of two years. Passport-free travel would no longer apply and border control would be reintroduced by the Schengen countries for Greek ships and boats. Currently, according to Schengen rules and the Dublin Treaty, Athens should either temporarily host the refugees and examine their asylum claims, or redirect those who don’t want to apply for asylum to Turkey. The EU is concerned that Greece is sending migrants indiscriminately to Macedonia, from where they travel on to western and northern Europe.

Read more: greece.greekreporter.com