European Commission Calls for Transfer of Five Thousand Children from Greek Camps

Habeck, leader of Germany’s Green Party, has called for four thousand refugee children to be transferred from Greek islands to Germany. However, the German government says a European solution must be found on this matter. Now the European Commission has also called for the transfer of children.

The European Union Commission has requested that Germany and other European countries accept children and adolescents living without families and guardians in Greek refugee camps, who are enduring extremely difficult conditions.

According to the latest information from the European Union Commission, the number of unaccompanied young refugees entering Greek islands has increased, and as of December 20 of this year, 1,922 unaccompanied young refugees have been registered on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros, and Kos.

Throughout Greece by the end of November 2019, this figure was 5,276 people. Nine percent of these individuals are under 14 years old and are classified as “children” under youth protection laws.

Robert Habeck, leader of Germany’s Green Party, has requested that up to four thousand migrant children be transferred from Greek islands to Germany. However, Ulrike Demmer, deputy spokesperson for the German government, said on Monday, December 23, in response to this matter, that the German government cannot solve this problem alone and a European solution must be found on this issue.

However, a European solution for transferring refugee children is not feasible given the opposition of countries such as Hungary and Poland.

The issue of transferring refugee children and adolescents from Greek islands to Germany has sparked heated debates in German society. Some German states have announced their willingness to accept refugee children. Boris Pistorius, Interior Minister of Lower Saxony state, has requested that Horst Seehofer, Germany’s Interior Minister, allow the acceptance of unaccompanied young refugees. He says the suffering of these individuals should not be ignored.

Oliver Müller, head of the international Catholic aid organization “Caritas,” has also described the situation of refugee children in Greek camps as catastrophic and has called for these children to be removed from Greek refugee camps as soon as possible.