Today I met with the EU Ambassadors in Greece to inform them and exchange views on the issues of my portfolio, migration and internal security of Europe. We focused a lot on the migratory challenges that we are all confronted with.
The Ambassadors have the chance go see and assess the situation on the ground in one of the most affected Member States and pass important messages to their governments to fully implement our common European policy to address the refugee crisis.
I asked for their help in order to make relocation succeed. All eligible candidates have to be relocated from Greece and Italy by September.
In parallel, all Member States have to fulfil their obligations and fill the gaps of the ongoing operations and of the pools of the European Border and Coast Guard. The management of our external border is a joint responsibility. This is about implementing European solidarity and responsibility.
The same goes for security: trust, cooperation and information exchange are the only way to face these common security challenges. Following the recent attacks in Europe it is even more clear how important prevention is: Anti-radicalisation, both on-line and on the ground, is key to prevent more attacks in the future.
I also met today with the Minister for Migration Mr. Mouzalas and Alternate Minister for Citizen Protection Mr. Toskas. During our meeting, we focused on the conditions on the Greek islands and in particular the situation of minors.
We agreed that the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement has to be accelerated. Special coordinators for children have to be appointed on all islands and the creation of more reception places dedicated for children has to be stepped up. We agreed that I will soon return to Greece to see the progress achieved.
In parallel we agreed on the need to further improve the reception capacities on the islands, including with the creation of closed facilities.
With summer ahead of us, we cannot stay idle : we have to already plan for the future and be ready for the winter conditions.
Greece has been receiving and continues to receive immense financial and operational support from the European Commission, its Agencies and the Member States. No Member State should and will be left alone.
In the future, the migratory challenges might change. This why is important to finally agree on a fair, predictable and efficient Dublin reform.