Greek authorities should be ready to lodge refugees - Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told German media that the Greek authorities should hurry up with providing the promised amount of proper accommodation places for refugees.
In October, Greece agreed for opening reception centers to host 30,000 refugees by the end of 2015, with the United Nations to help provide another 20,000 places.
"Initially, Greece should have created 50,000 accommodation places for refugees by the end of 2015….The arrears must be resolved just now at lightning speed because the Greek government has to guarantee [refugees] decent accommodation," Merkel told the German tabloid Bild am Sonntag on Saturday.
The German Chancellor also stressed that the task is not easy, that is why Greece needs help and support of the European Union on the issue.
Europe has been beset by a massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fleeing their home countries to escape violence and poverty.
In February, Austria and Slovenia introduced quotas on a number of people entering their territory and number of asylum applications. The two countries agreed to jointly profile and register refugees and asylum-seekers at the Macedonian-Greek border, which led to refugees crowding in Greece.
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz