Migrant crisis: EU threatens Greece over border controls

Greece has "seriously neglected" its obligations to control the external frontier of Europe's passport-free Schengen zone, the European Commission says in a draft report.

   The assessment found failures to register, check and fingerprint migrants arriving in November. Greece is now likely to be given three months to rectify the situation. If it does not improve, the EU may recommend that other Schengen states reintroduce temporary border controls.

   The Greek government has hit out at what it called the EU's "blame games", criticising the lack of "common action" by European countries to respond to the migrant crisis. More than 850,000 migrants and refugees arrived in Greece last year.

   A further 44,000 have reached the Greek islands since the start of 2016, mostly arriving on Lesbos, Samos and Chios from the Turkish mainland. There is growing pressure on Athens to deal with the flow of migrants, most of whom go on to travel through Europe to countries such as Germany and Sweden.

   Several EU states, including Austria and Hungary, have already introduced temporary border controls, as the principle of passport-free travel comes under increased strain.

Πηγή: BBC