00:59Greece: Europe must avoid return to dark past over refugees - Avramopoulos
The EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said that the refugee crisis is challenging the EU's ideals as he spoke during the ceremony of the relocation programme ceremony at the International Airport of Athens, on Wednesday. He warned against the rise of racism and xenophobia as a consequence.
Avramopoulos said that "some countries in Europe appear to choose for bringing back the bad memories of the European past, such as fences, wires and walls" and presented the official EU position said that "Europe has a clear position, it disagrees with all of that and Europe is communicating a responsible message of solidarity."
At the end of September, EU officials reached an agreement to move an estimated 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to other member states over a period of two years. Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean and landed on European shores in 2015 alone, with southern Europe seeing the majority of arrivals. According to UNHCR figures, Italy is currently host to an estimated 129,000 new arrivals; while the United Nations (UN) estimate that around 2,400 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.
00:59The EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said that the refugee crisis is challenging the EU's ideals as he spoke during the ceremony of the relocation programme ceremony at the International Airport of Athens, on Wednesday. He warned against the rise of racism and xenophobia as a consequence.
Avramopoulos said that "some countries in Europe appear to choose for bringing back the bad memories of the European past, such as fences, wires and walls" and presented the official EU position said that "Europe has a clear position, it disagrees with all of that and Europe is communicating a responsible message of solidarity."
At the end of September, EU officials reached an agreement to move an estimated 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to other member states over a period of two years. Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean and landed on European shores in 2015 alone, with southern Europe seeing the majority of arrivals. According to UNHCR figures, Italy is currently host to an estimated 129,000 new arrivals; while the United Nations (UN) estimate that around 2,400 people have lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.