Protection of unaccompanied children 'a matter of civilisation,' Chrisochoidis tells MEPs

He appealed to the European Union member-states to take action for a common response to migration flows and especially regarding the problem of unaccompanied minors.

"The problem on the islands is explosive; beyond any management capability," underlined the Greek minister, adding that even if the entire machinery of the EU were mobilised, "it could not deal with this tsunami of people".

He explained that doctors and asylum service employees were faced with hundreds of new arrivals every day, with which they could not possible cope. "It is impossible to provide decent reception conditions with this number of arrivals. It is a humanitarian disaster and a social catastrophe," he added.
Referring to the new law voted by the Greek parliament on providing international protection, Chrisochoidis noted that this is "a faithful transposition' of the relevant European directive, which fully respects European and international law, as well as human rights. 

He also pointed out, however, that migration cannot be an issue or a wager for the first-reception countries only and said it was 'utopian' for some countries to believe that closing their borders will make them 'secure' and not allow migrants to enter. 

Moreover, the Greek minister said that it was not a matter of solidarity with Greece but of 'rules' that must be followed.

Chrisochoidis referred to the particularly 'sensitive' issue of unaccompanied children, noting that their numbers have now reached 4,000 in Greece, and underlined that the conditions in which they are housed 'do not do Europe credit." For this reason, he explained, he has sent a letter to his EU counterparts asking them to take some of these minors but had received virtually no response, barring one exception. 

"This is not an issue of solidarity or rules. It is a matter of civilisation," the minister noted, asking MEPs for their help in mobilising the other EU national governments.

Chrisochoidis defended the actions taken by the Greek government with respect to asylum procedures while addressing the European Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee. 

On the issue of access to healthcare, the Greek minister underlined that all children hosted on the Greek islands are vaccinated while all asylum seekers and those for whom the asylum application process has been completed, whether this has been approved or denied, have access to the national health system. Additionally, he said that the new law provides for the mandatory education of all the asylum-seekers' children.

On the abolition of the Migration Policy Ministry, Chrisochoidis noted that migration policy in all countries is part of the interior ministry's remit.
Asked to comment on the EU-Turkey Statement, he said that the goal was to continue its implementation because, as he said, while Turkey had undertaken to protect its borders, it appears to have recently changed its stance.
Therefore, he explained, it was imperative to guarantee the "terms and conditions" that will allow this to happen - namely, allow the EU to support the refugees stay in Turkey, on the one hand, and the protection by Turkey of the borders, on the other hand.

He also said that the goverment's priority was the acceleration of asylum procedures, as the existing system meant that the rights of the asylum seekers were not respected and it was not possible to provide them with protection.

Finally, he said that the government's aim is that, by the end of the year, the greater part of the refugees currently on the islands will have been transferred to safe accommodation facilities, such as hotels and apartments, on the mainland, in order to relieve overcrowding at island facilities. In this framework, priority will be given to the most vulnerable, namely families and children.

The Greek minister also noted that 'the major wager' for the government was the integration and incorporation of refugees in society, meaning the education of the children, jobs for their parents and ensuring both their rights and responsibilities.