Meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on the situation in Greece as regards migration and refugees, in the EP in Brussels. Exchange of views with Ioannis MOUZALAS, Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy

Brussels

exchange of views

EU - Greece (T)

meeting

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

MOUZALAS, Ioannis (EL)

The situation in Greece as regards migration and refugees: extracts from the exchange of views with Ioannis MOUZALAS, Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy

Arrival of Ioannis MOUZALAS, Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy, at the LIBE committee, (1 shot)

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Ioannis MOUZALAS, Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy, We are at the stage, it is because there is no legal way, and we did not create legal possibilities for refugees to ask for asylum in Europe. We have created informally; we have established the Balkan route.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Ioannis MOUZALAS, Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy, We had to face heavy consequences so let me repeat we are at this stage today because Europe did not manage to implement the decisions it took, because some Member states resisted these decisions.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Ioannis MOUZALAS, Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy, This means that at the beginning of this corridor, Greece, we have a mayor humanitarian problem and if there is no concrete help from Europe this become a Humanitarian crisis.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Ioannis MOUZALAS, Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy, I also must tell you I'm not here today to ask you to exchange financial help with having these people stay in Greece. I'm not bargaining to get that, I don't believe that Europe should adopt the stance that is proposed by several member states that Greece can become an enormous refugee camp if there is enough money for it.

SOUNDBITE (Greek), Ioannis MOUZALAS, Greek Alternate Minister of Immigration Policy, It is imperative to diminish the flows from Turkey, this imperative in order to get a solution, because Turkey said that it will face up to the responsibilities, it will do that, but until now this has not happened.