Greece Desperate for EU Help to Keep Tabs on Illegal Migrants

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | April 12, 2007, Thursday // 00:00

The Greek minister of public order has complained that the European Union is slow in helping the country deal with the flows of illegal migrants pouring into the country.

"Where is the European policy on migration? I am on the external EU border and want to draw Europe's attention, I want help," Minister Vyron Polydoras said at a meeting with his Bavarian counterpart Gunther Bechstein.

A total of 100,000 illegal migrants enter Greece each year, while authorities manage to return to their homeland 80,000 of them.

"There are another 20,000 left on our hands to deal with," the minister said.

The news comes just a day after the European Union said it will set up a rapidly deployable force of border guards to help states such as Spain and Malta cope with sudden influxes of illegal migrants.

More than 31,000 illegal migrants reached Spain's Canary Islands last year -- six times more than in 2005. Italy and Malta faced similar unprecedented flows.

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