Migrant crisis: Greece denies Schengen threat from EU

Greece has admitted it has come under intense pressure over migration, but has strongly denied that any official attempt has been made to suspend it from the Schengen passport-free zone.

   The government complained of untrue reports from "European circles" pushing a hostile agenda about Greece. More than 740,000 people have arrived on the shores of Greece this year. A top EU official has warned that children are dying on Greek beaches because of a lack of medical help.

   There is also anger that Greece has been slow to let in EU experts and improve its registration of refugees. The influx of migrants across countries with few border restrictions has alarmed European leaders and raised doubts about the very future of the 1985 Schengen accord.

   According to the FT, Greece has been repeatedly warned this week that it could be suspended from the 26-member zone if it fails to take action before an EU leaders' summit in mid-December. Separately, unnamed officials in Brussels have said that Greece's suspension has been discussed in recent days, although not in a formal manner, in an attempt to persuade the Athens government to improve its handling of migrants and refugees.

   Greek government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili was adamant that Greece's suspension from Schengen had "never been raised in the EU framework". In a statement, she complained that "European circles insist on distorting reality and keep believing that Europe's future can be built on phobic reflexes, fences and exclusion".

   She appeared to lay the blame on countries such as Slovakia which advocate much tighter border controls. "These same circles have been promoting during the last days this hostile environment towards Greece by unacceptably threatening the country with exiting the Schengen Treaty."

Πηγή: bbc.com