UN Concerned About Refugees’ Problems in Greece

The United Nations refugee agency says asylum seekers who find their way to Greece face a “humanitarian crisis” there.

The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says Greece’s system for handling refugees does not function properly and those needing international protection are not identified.

Conditions for asylum seekers in Greece are notoriously difficult, but a spokesman for the U.N. agency says most refugees arriving in Greece get no assistance. Many of the thousands of refugees arriving in Greece each year must live on the streets.

Human Rights Watch says the current Greek asylum system is unacceptable. The rights group is urging the U.N. refugee agency and the European Union to intervene.

Greece is a major entry point into Europe for refugees from North Africa and elsewhere, and the country has a backlog of tens of thousands of asylum requests.

Authorities in Athens say they are overwhelmed with asylum seekers and that the country’s economic crisis makes it hard to carry out needed reforms.

Some asylum seekers move on from Greece to other European destinations. If they are detected by authorities in another country. EU regulations order their return to the European point of entry where they arrived – in Greece.

The United Nations is calling on the EU to help Greece meet its international obligations.