Almost 200 refugees were flown from Greece to Germany this week. This brings the total number of refugees transfers since April of last year to 2,151.
A group of 91 refugees belonging to 20 families arrived at Hanover airport in Germany from Greece on Thursday this week. According to the interior ministry, they will be settled in several different German states.
Another 26 families - 106 recognized refugees, most of them underage - from Greece landed at the same airport on Wednesday.
Since April of last year, Germany has now taken in over 2,151 refugees from Greece.
Germany to take in 2,750 refugees from Greece
The total number of people Germany has agreed to take in from Greece is 2,750, according to German news agency KNA.
Germany was one of several European countries that agreed to take in vulnerable refugees and migrants from fellow European Union member state Greece last spring. In March 2020, Berlin agreed to take in roughly 240 sick children and their core family members, as well as 53 unaccompanied minors.
Germany also promised to take in roughly 1,500 recognized refugees as well as a small number of unaccompanied minors from Greece following fires at Moria camp in September of last year.
Hardship for refugees, migrants in Greece
In spite of transfers to other European countries, Greece still hosts a large number of migrants and refugees.
Roughly 7,000 people live in Kara Tepe camp on the the Greek island of Lesbos alone -- that's almost three times as many people as Germany agreed to take in. The camp has repeatedly been criticized for its poor living conditions; it was flooded due to heavy rains multiple times this winter and does not provide enough space or washing facilities for proper safety measures against COVID-19.
Many activists and advocates have criticized the difficult conditions for refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in Greece -- one of the poorest EU member states. In January, a German court even ruled that refugees could not be returned to Greece because they would face "extreme material hardship."
SOURCE: InfoMigrants
