Only about a third of all undocumented migrants who applied for stay permits under a decree passed in May 2020 have received their papers thus far, according to a group of NGOs calling for faster and easier regularizations.
Greece has opened two more migrant holding centers on the Aegean islands of Kos and Leros situated near Turkey. The move has drawn ire by human rights groups.
The Italian coast guard rescued nearly 250 migrants, including a newborn baby, from a fishing boat drifting a few miles off the Calabrian coast at the weekend. The rescue operation was complicated by rough weather conditions.
The Syrians, Lebanese, and Egyptian migrants had planned to reach Germany after being dropped off in Austria, police said. Hundreds of migrants paid up to €5,000 each ($5,600) for the ride.
France called for crisis talks after the recent deaths of 27 people attempting to cross the English Channel. France rescinded the invite to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel after a row broke out late last week.