Greece: EU should sanction countries that refuse to accept deported migrants
Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Keridis said: "Europe must demand that countries take back their citizens. Otherwise, sanctions will be imposed and financial aid will be withheld. Europe has the authority to impose its will on this issue."
Dimitris Keridis, Minister of Migration and Asylum of Greece, said that the existing bilateral agreements between EU member states and others on the return of migrants are ineffective, "Europe must demand that these countries take back their citizens. Otherwise, there will be sanctions and financial aid will not be provided. Europe has the authority to impose its will on this issue."
Keridis said the sanctions proposal was being discussed in the final stages of negotiations to revise EU-wide migration rules and argued that failure to implement a viable expulsion policy would "make Europe a laughing stock in the asylum process".
Greece and its close neighbour Italy are facing an influx of migrants, increasing pressure on the EU to conclude a migration deal.
Lastly, in mid-September, 6,800 people reached the island of Lampedusa in the south of Italy within a 24-hour period.