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Greece rejects EU partners criticism over refugee crisis as "counterproductive"

Xinhua, January 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Greece dismissed on Wednesday as "counterproductive" the escalating criticism by its EU partners over the management of the refugee crisis after the publication of a European Commission report that found "serious deficiencies in the carrying out of external border controls" in the country.

In statements made to media on Wednesday in Brussels European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis noted that the report was based on inspections carried out last November and that Greece has ever since made progress, but more remains to be done in border management and the screening of undocumented migrants.

"If the necessary action is not being taken and deficiencies persist, there is a possibility to ... allow member states to temporarily close their borders," Dombrovskis said.

If the Commission's conclusions are confirmed by a majority of the 26 Schengen passport-free zone member states, the Commission will recommend remedial procedures, giving Greece three months to comply, the European official stressed.

Should Greece fails to remedy the faults again within the deadline, the country may face the installment of controls of their national borders with Greece by other member states for a period of up to two years, Greece's national news agency AMNA stressed.

After the starkest EU warning to date over a looming temporary Greek exclusion from Schengen, Greece's government spokeswoman Olga Gerovassilis responded that the criticism was unfair to the debt laden country.

"Greece is doing its best to meet its obligations and expects the same from others ... It is not constructive to try to isolate Greece, based on a evaluation of the Schengen Mechanism held on November 10, when the situation on the ground was very different than today," she said in an e-mailed statement.

The Greek official added that on Monday the EU's Interior ministers reached a decision for a European solution to the problem, which concluded that the key to managing the refugee crisis lies in Turkey and its implementation of what has been agreed in late 2015.

She also noted that Greece has received only partial response to its appeal for greater EU help in registering migrants, while an EU agreement reached in autumn to relocate 160,000 refugees from the country has only been implemented for 414 people so far. Endit