EU border guards to help Greece stop an influx of migrants entering across the land border with Turkey

The EU is for the first time sending border guards to help Greece stem an influx of migrants entering across the land border with Turkey. The Rapid Border Intervention Teams set up in 2007 “are activated today for the first time”, the European Commission said late on Sunday. The Commission said the flows of illegal migrants entering Greece had “reached alarming proportions”.

Greece requested EU help. The UN says the burden on Greece is “critical”. Last week a UN special rapporteur, Manfred Nowak, said “Greece should not carry the burden of receiving the vast majority of all irregular migrants entering the European Union”. He was speaking after a fact-finding visit to Greece.

“This is a truly European problem which needs a joint European solution,” he said.