Vice-President Schinas in Lesvos, Greece following fires in Moria reception centre
© European Union, 2021, Source: EC - Audiovisual Service, Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of European Commission addresses the media during a press conference after his meeting with Ales Hojs, Slovenian Minister of the Interior in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia on June 7, 2021.Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, is in Greece following the devastating fires in the Moria Reception and Identification Centre in Lesvos. This morning, the Vice-President visited the site in Lesvos to assess the situation on the ground. The Vice-President then travelled to Athens to meet with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and President Sakellaropoulou. During his stay, the Vice-President also met with the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachis, as well as regional authorities, international organisations, and civil society organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers. The Commission is fully mobilised to provide immediate assistance. So far the Commission has financed the emergency evacuation of the 400 unaccompanied children remaining in the camp as well as the temporary shelter for up to 1,600 people on a ferry in Lesvos. The 400 children will now be relocated to participating Member States. In addition to financial help, the Commission stands ready to coordinate European support through the Civil Protection Mechanism as soon as needs are assessed. Thanks to joint efforts of the Greek government and the Commission over the last 6 months, the number of residents of the Moria facility more than halved from 25,000 to about 12,000, with most unaccompanied children and other vulnerable people relocated to other Member States or transferred to other facilities. Coverage of the Vice-President’s visit is available on EbS.
