Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Thursday pointed to a failed European response to the ongoing refugee / migrant crisis, as the increasingly acute problem is exasperating the already tedious economic and social situation in the recession-swamped EU member-state.
In receiving EU Council president Donald Tusk, the leftist Greek PM said Europe has shown a “a weakness in dealing with the crisis”, as he pointed to unilateral actions by member-states — a reference to stricter border controls.
Tsipras also said Greece has already assumed a disproportionate burden of the crisis and that his government expects to an acknowledgment that it cannot deal with the problem alone. He also called for the immediate relocation of the refugees and even warned of “sanctions” if EU decisions are not met.
Nevertheless, several states along the so-called “Balkan corridor” are not EU member-states, let alone Schengen pact signatories.
In echoing previous statements by his ministers and other Greek leaders, Tsipras said the crisis is “exceptionally crucial” for Europe’s future.
