Last week, Turkey and the European Union struck a deal that allows returning undocumented migrants who arrive in Greece back to Turkey, and in return obliges the bloc to take an equal number of Syrians currently staying in refugee camps in Turkey.
"In our view, any measures to stem arrivals must have the protection of individuals at their core, and be guided and framed by international and regional obligations, and in the spirit of solidarity and responsibddility sharing. Crucially though, we now need to see how this will be worked out in practice, in keeping with the safeguards set out in the Agreement," Spindler said.
Since January 2015, an estimated million refugees have entered Greece from Turkey, most hoping to travel north to seek asylum in Central Europe. A growing number of European countries have been closing their borders, worried by the inflow of migrants to their territory. Various rights groups have slammed the conditions under which the refugees have been treated in Europe, including the closure of borders and the state of migrant camps and refugee reception centers.
