Progress on migration

ATHENS: Europe’s migration commissioner says the European Union has made progress on handling migration issues, but more remains to be done.

Speaking in Brussels, Dimitris Avramopoulos noted a significant increase in the number of illegal crossings recorded on the Greek-Turkish border, while stressing the figures were still far below those of the height of the migration flow into Europe.

The EU says 6 108 people have crossed the Greek-Turkish land border illegally so far this year, a nine-fold increase from the same period last year. A further 9 349 arrived by sea. The EU wouldn’t back a fence or wall on the Greek-Turkish border, he said.