The Greek islands of Lesvos and Chios are to receive an aid package of 6.48 million euros to help improve reception conditions for refugees and migrants stranded there.
The European Commission has announced on Monday a new aid package to help Greek authorities cope with ongoing problems and the backlog of asylum-seeking refugees stranded at various camps on both of Lesvos and Chiost. The two Eastern Aegean islands have borne the brunt of the influx of refugees crossing into Europe from Turkey since the migrant crisis began in 2015.
According to the Commission communication, the new funding will go to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide services such as food, water, and sanitation, as well as "to help protect vulnerable migrants and provide access to education and health care services."
As reported by the EU commission's figures, Greece has now received a total of 361.82 million in emergency funding to date.
Backlog of asylum applications amid ongoing new arrivals
The welcome news comes just a month after the Greek government announced its own local funding boost of 168,406 euros going directly to the fund for refugee crisis management on Lesvos after the island was hit by an earthquake. Even though the flow of refugees has slowed significantly since the EU-Turkey agreement signed in March 2016, both islands have been struggling to cope with the backlog of asylum applications amid ongoing new arrivals.
For example, since the start of July, a total of 202 migrants and refugees have landed on Lesvos, according to the latest government figures. The new arrivals mean the number of people stranded on the eastern Aegean island increased to 4,057. Meanwhile, an estimated total number of 9,782 migrants are currently housed across Greece's Aegean islands, awaiting the outcome of their asylum applications.