EU gives Greece and Macedonia more millions for migration

The European Commission said Monday it would give €10 million to Macedonia to improve management of its border, and provide €12.7 million in emergency funding to Greece for migrant reception facilities.

The money for Greece will be used to set up 8,000 reception places on the mainland. Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said the funds will help Greece reach its goal of accommodating 50,000 refugees, agreed in October.

Last week, EU states gave Greece six weeks to resolve “serious deficiencies” in how it processes migrants.

The €10 million to Macedonia aims to improve border checks, surveillance and registration, and to combat human trafficking, the Commission said in a statement.

Johannes Hahn, the EU’s neighborhood and enlargement commissioner, said the new funding would help authorities “improve border and migration management, and support their costs relating to the guest officers sent by EU member states and Serbia to the country’s southern border.”

The Commission said it took into account a request for assistance from Macedonia, and the results of a Commission visit last month.

Most of the more than 1 million migrants who came to Europe last year, came from Turkey to Greece and then through Macedonia and Serbia, on the Western Balkan route.

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