EU sends border guards to Greece

Rapid-response teams to help tackle flow of migrants.

The European Commission has sent rapid-response teams of national border guards to help Greece deal with an influx of illegal migrants via Turkey.

This is the first time that the Rapid Border Intervention Teams operated by Frontex, the EU’s border management agency, have been used since they were set up in 2007. The Greek government requested their deployment yesterday (24 October).

The Commission said that the situation on the Greek-Turkish land border that divides the region of Thrace has become “increasingly dramatic”. According to Frontex, three-quarters of illegal border crossings in the EU in the first half of 2010 took place in Greece.

Cecilia Malmström, the European commissioner for home affairs, said that the situation was “worrying”.

“The flows of people crossing the border irregularly have reached alarming proportions and Greece is manifestly not able to face this situation alone,” she said, adding that she was “very concerned about the humanitarian situation”.

The rapid-response teams are made up of reserve border guards from EU member states that are put at the disposal of the Greek authorities. They operate under the command of the local authorities and are authorised to use force if necessary. The exact number and composition of the teams will be determined in the coming days.

The Commission is already assisting Greece in reforming its asylum system, which has been criticised by human rights groups as inadequate. Several member states are providing practical assistance.

Last week, the United Nations criticised Greece for the “catastrophic” conditions in which illegal migrants were held, calling on the other EU member states to ease the burden on the country.