Commissioner Avramopoulos and Luxembourgish Minister Asselborn will be in Lesbos tomorrow to visit the first reception centre Moria as well as the Mytilini reception and registration centre, and to see how the Hotspot support teams are operating on the ground. This is the first Hotspot area to be operational in Greece, and the remaining Hotspots (Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros) are expected to be fully functional by the end of November 2015. Commissioner Avramopoulos said: “Last week we witnessed the opening of the first Hotspot in Italy, and now we are seeing the first Hotspot operating in Greece. This is European commitment, solidarity and responsibility being put in action. It is an important start, but we still have a long way to go in rolling out Hotspots in other areas, in starting relocations and improving returns. It is another important step towards addressing the refugee crisis comprehensively.” A press conference is foreseen in Athens at 16.00 (local time), at the Representation of the European Commission. The press conference will also be available on EbS.
