Greece criticizes Germany's introduction of border controls

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, meeting with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna, said he was unhappy with Germany's decision to introduce controls on its borders – a move that threatens the Schengen area.

How writes Euractiv, Mitsotakis noted that in the context of containing migrants, the implementation of the Pact EU on migration and asylum should be a priority:

“It would be wrong to move towards the logic of situational exceptions from the Schengen area, with border controls that could ultimately hinder the free movement of citizens and damage the fundamental achievements of the EU.”

The Prime Minister noted that Greece spends significant resources on protecting its borders, which is also supported by the EU, and this support “must continue.”

Regarding the situation in Germany, the Greek leader noted that it is not his job to tell any European EU member state what advantages it offers and what social policies it pursues:

“The reality is that today in Europe there are countries that attract not only illegal immigrants, but also refugees who have refugee status in one European country and move – because they have a legal right to do so – to another European country. This is something that should worry Germany itself, and it is certainly not our job to dictate how the welfare state will be organised.”

Athens media quote government sources as saying that “Germany has created the problem itself” by offering attractive benefits to migrants and “therefore it should solve it itself without burdening other EU member states.”

Greece, the newspaper writes, has been at the forefront of migration for years and has insisted on the mandatory resettlement of migrants and refugees within the EU. However, its position was not reflected in the revised EU Pact on Asylum and Migration, as northern EU countries, including Germany, opposed it.

On August 29, amid the uproar surrounding the terrorist attack in the city of Solingen, the German government agreed on a package of measures on migration and asylum. On Monday, the head of the German Interior Ministry announced on the resumption of border controls at all German borders with neighbors.

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