Listhaug: – The asylum system in Greece needs to be strengthened

Sylvi Listhaug waggingSylvi Listhaug (Progress Party).Photo regjeringen.no

The asylum system in Greece needs to be strengthened and become more efficient if the agreement between Turkey and the EU is to work,  immigration and integration minister Sylvi Listhaug says

On Monday Listhaug opened Norwegian funded conference in the Greek capital on the handling of refugee and immigration crisis.
– It is crucial that all new migrants who cross the sea from Turkey to the Greek islands are sent back. If this is to happen in line with the guidelines for the protection of refugees, the proceedings and decision capacity in Greece  need to be significantly strengthened, Listhaug  said in her speech to the conference.
She notes that the returns of new refugees have to occur within a reasonable amount of time.
– If not, it may very well be that the agreement with Turkey will not have its intended impact and we may quickly experience that the reception capacity of the Greek islands is not enough, she says.
Norway supports the Greek asylum and migration system with over 225 million. This is money that is taken from the Norwegian EEA contribution.
– We hope to continue and expand our cooperation in the next funding period and look forward to discussing this in ournegotiations on a new cooperation agreement, said Listhaug.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today