Over 13,000 Refugees Relocated From Greece, Italy to EU Countries

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) – Over 13,000 refugees were relocated from Italy and Greece to other countries of the European Union under the agreement to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers across the bloc within two years, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said Thursday.

"Right now, around 13,500 have been relocated, but Italy and Greece remain under pressure," he told reporters in Brussels.

Asylum applicants are screened and registered in so-called hotspots in Greece and Italy. Later, the migrants are resettled in other EU countries as part of the relocation program.

Avramopoulos said he had sent a letter to all EU interior ministers, asking them to fulfill their obligations until the relocation scheme expires in Sptember.

In June 2015, EU leaders agreed to relocate 40,000 migrants that arrived in Italy and Greece. In September 2015, European interior ministers agreed to relocate another 120,000 refugees to 23 countries over the next two years.

In February 2017, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans warned the EU states of financial penalties if they fail to comply with the relocation rules.

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