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Executive Summary for December 1st

We review the latest issues related to refugees, including Greece’s transfer of several hundred asylum seekers to the mainland, Estonia’s proposal for a E.U. relocation scheme and the first Africans arriving in Italy via ‘humanitarian corridors.’

Published on Dec. 1, 2017 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

Greece Moves Refugees to Mainland Amid Pressure Over Conditions

Greece transferred several hundred asylum seekers from overcrowded camps on the island of Lesbos to the mainland. Human rights and humanitarian groups are pressing authorities to move more people before the winter sets in.

Some 8,500 asylum seekers are stuck on Lesbos in facilities meant to house a third of that number. Overcrowding is also severe on other islands, including Chios and Samos.

Most people seeking refuge in Europe by taking boats to the Greek islands are being held there while their asylum claims are reviewed, under the terms of the 2016 deal between the European Union and Turkey. But with shelters stretched far beyond capacity and winter approaching, Greek authorities moved 300 people from Lesbos on Nov. 30 into camps and other accommodation on the mainland.

A group of 12 human rights and humanitarian organizations launched a campaign on Friday calling on Greece and the E.U. to transfer asylum seekers to the mainland and prevent a repeat of last winter, when some refugees slept in snow-covered tents.

Estonia Proposes ‘Mother of All Compromises’ on E.U. Relocation

Estonia outlined a plan to distribute asylum seekers throughout the E.U. which it hopes will overcome deep divisions over the issues.

Several central European countries refused to take part in the E.U.’s 2015 mandatory relocation scheme, which expired in October. Estonia, which currently holds the rotating E.U. presidency, proposed a new voluntary quota scheme.

The new plan seeks to allay countries’ fears of a sudden influx of people by introducing an “early warning” system when the number of arrivals approaches full quota. Other E.U. member states would then be required to provide assistance.

“In our view, we have a good understanding of where the possible middle ground lies,” an Estonian presidency spokesman said, calling it the “mother of all compromises.”

But another diplomat told Politico, “There is no plan apart from keeping an obligatory quota out. The presidency seems to think that tiptoeing around the issue makes it go away. It won’t.”

E.U. leaders will not discuss the Estonian proposal at their next summit in Brussels, EUObserver reported. The are expected to make a decision by June 2018.

First Africans Arrive in Italy Through ‘Humanitarian Corridors’

The first African refugees arrived in Italy through the church-supported humanitarian corridors program, which aims to give vulnerable displaced persons safe passage to Europe.

Around 1,000 Syrian refugees have come to Italy from Lebanon via the initiative, which was launched in February 2016 by Protestant and Roman Catholic churches and the Italian government. The churches help the new arrivals with housing, language training and searching for work.

The humanitarian corridors program will now be rolled out to about 500 African refugees living in Ethiopia. The first group of 25 men, women and children came from Somalia, Eritrea and South Sudan. Similar initiatives are being prepared or examined in France, Belgium and Spain.

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