Greece Seeks European Help for Border Control and Refugees

Following implied threats from the European Union regarding Greece's potential exclusion from the Schengen area, Athens has requested assistance from the Union for border protection and refugee care. On Friday, December 4, the interior ministers of the Union will convene to discuss necessary actions to address what has been termed Greece's 'inability' to manage its borders. Just hours before the Friday meeting, Athens sought help from the Union, indicating Greece's agreement to employ foreign border guards and receive assistance from the Union. According to Reuters, European diplomats say Greece has been under significant pressure to cooperate with the European Union regarding the refugee issue before Friday. Consequently, Greece agrees to three proposals: the presence of EU staff at its northern borders, foreign border guards on islands in the Aegean Sea, and tents and basic facilities for the care of migrants who have entered its territory. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU's senior representative for migration, welcomed Athens' acceptance of the Union's proposals. The crisis stemming from an unprecedented influx of refugees into Europe has not only posed challenges for the Union's borders but has also become a contentious issue among European leaders. Greece itself is grappling with an economic crisis that had previously brought the country to the brink of exiting the Eurozone. Nearly 600,000 people have entered Greek islands in the Aegean from Turkey in recent months, a perilous escape route that has claimed thousands of lives. The Greek government has also promised to cooperate with the EU border agency (Frontex) to register those refugees who are stranded at the northern border, following Macedonia's significant increase in border control. Nevertheless, Athens has emphasized that Frontex staff will only register refugees and will not intervene in 'joint border management.' In this context, clashes between refugees and Macedonian border police have ceased. The agreement between the EU and Turkey for managing the refugee crisis has led to the collection of hundreds of refugees in Turkey following the agreement with the EU.