EU Commission accepts report that Greece ΄seriously neglected΄ Schengen obligations

A European Union investigation found major flaws in Greece’s border management that stand to pave the way for other EU nations to isolate Athens and introduce long-term identification checks to restrict the entry of migrants further into the continent.

The assessment found failures to register, check and fingerprint migrants arriving in November.

The European Commission on Wednesday blasted Greece for “seriously” neglecting its border obligations and gave Athens three months to remedy the problem. All others are considered economic migrants and left trapped in Greece, where they are told to seek asylum, agree to voluntary repatriation or be deported.

Cracks have appeared in the borderless, passport-free Schengen zone as member states try to deal with the EU’s unprecedented migrant crisis.

In response to the refugee crisis, half a dozen countries already have varying degrees of temporary border controls. On Jan 19, the International Organization for Migration estimated that 31,244 migrants and refugees had arrived in Greece by sea in 2016.

Greece pushed back on Tuesday at a Belgian proposal that Athens should set up camps for hundreds of thousands of migrants on its soil, amid concerns that the country could be swamped by people barred from travelling onwards to northern Europe.

Managing the country’s vast maritime border would challenge even an experienced government with a fully equipped public service.

“The draft report concludes that Greece seriously neglected its obligations and that there are serious deficiencies occurring out of border controls that must be overcome”, commission vice president Valdis Dombrovskis told a press conference.

The report’s conclusions allow the European Commission to propose “remedial action” and certain recommendations for Greece to improve how it manages its borders.

But EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos moved to calm the fears on Tuesday, writing on Twitter: “We are not speaking about the suspension of Schengen or the exclusion of a member”.

The report needed the approval of the Schengen members before the three months compliance deadline could be imposed.

Otherwise, border checks to limit the movement of migrants within Europe may be instituted.

Germany, main destination for refugees and migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa, hopes a November deal agreed with Turkey will mean fewer migrants arrive inGreece.

Six migrants including one child drowned when their vessel sank off a Greek island close to Turkey, the Greek coastguard said on Wednesday, as the perilous crossings towards Europe continue despite harsh winter conditions. But party leader and Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer has been at odds with Merkel for months over her open-door refugee policy, and has pressed increasingly loudly for a cap on the number of refugees Germany lets in.

So it’s likely Greece will now be given until mid-May to get to grips with the influx of people to its islands. And the timing is crucial.

Human Rights Watch urged the European Union to expand refugee resettlement programs and to issue humanitarian visas in “places of first refuge”, like Lebanon for Syrian refugees and Pakistan for Afghan refugees.