euractiv.com| 13 September 2021|
Commission asks Greece for transparency on pushbacks to release migration funds
The European Commission has asked Greece to set up an “independent” mechanism to monitor and avoid pushbacks of migrants at its border as a condition to release an additional €15.83 million in migration funding requested by Athens.
“Setting up an independent and credible monitoring mechanism will help prevent fundamental rights violations at the borders and ensure that procedures are in place to effectively investigate any allegations of such violations,” an EU spokesperson told EURACTIV.
The EU official added that the Commission made it clear to the Greek government that it is important that the Greek authorities swiftly establish such a mechanism.
“We are now waiting for more details from the Greek authorities before we can finalise our assessment,” the official noted.
The EU spokesperson emphasised that the Commission is “deeply concerned’ about all reports and allegations of pushbacks and mistreatment, and takes these very seriously.