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Migrant crisis: Greece 'overwhelmed' by arrivals Migrant crisis: Call for state of emergency on Greece Macedonia border
(about 5 hours later)
Europe's most senior official for migration has told the BBC that Greece is "overwhelmed" by new arrivals and that the whole world must react. A regional governor in northern Greece has called for a state of emergency to be imposed on the border with Macedonia as the migrant crisis grows.
At least 2,000 new migrants are registered in Greece every day. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, governor of Greece's Central Macedonia region, said the number of migrants on the frontier had grown to at least 13,000.
But more than 10,000 are stranded on the northern border with Macedonia, as EU countries have re-imposed internal border controls. A state of emergency would facilitate aid supplies, Greek media report.
Dimitris Avromopoulos, the European Commissioner for Migration, said other states needed to support Greece. Earlier, the EU's top migration official warned Greece could be "overwhelmed" by the crisis.
"Greece is overrun, is overwhelmed by all these flows," Mr Avromopoulos, who is Greek, told the BBC. Dimitris Avromopoulos, the commissioner for migration, told the BBC other states needed to support his country.
"We have to mobilise the whole European Union...we must see this situation as a global issue rather than a regional one." "Greece is overrun, is overwhelmed by all these flows," he said.
Earlier this week, EU officials announced an aid plan that would allocate €300m (£233m; $325m) this year to help any EU state deal with the migration crisis. In all, €700m would be made available over three years. The migrants, most of whom entered Greece illegally by sea from Turkey, are seeking asylum in other EU states to the north.
Migrant crisis in depth Many are living in flimsy tents since they became stranded around the Idomeni border crossing, after EU countries re-imposed internal border controls and Macedonia sharply reduced the numbers allowed to cross.
Have EU promises been kept?
Why is EU struggling with migrants and asylum?
EU migration: Crisis in seven charts
More than 125,000 people have arrived on Greek shores so far this year, close to 12 times more than arrived in the first three months of 2015.More than 125,000 people have arrived on Greek shores so far this year, close to 12 times more than arrived in the first three months of 2015.
Most are fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and have travelled from Turkey. Many are believed to be fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Eight countries in the 26-nation passport-free Schengen area have imposed restrictions on their borders, leading to a build-up further south in Greece. 'Unacceptable' stance
And EU countries who approved a plan to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece, Italy and Hungary have been slow to do so, with some filing a lawsuit against the plan. Mr Tzitzikostas, whose region shares the same name as the neighbouring country, said there were now 20,000 migrants in Central Macedonia as a whole - more than "60% of the country's entire refugee and migrant flow".
On Friday, European Council President Donald Tusk said the number of people still arriving in Greece from Turkey was "far too high". "We can no longer shoulder this strain by ourselves," he told Greek broadcaster Skai on a visit to Idomeni on Saturday to distribute humanitarian aid.
But, he said, there is hope the number of arrivals will soon drop considerably. "It's a huge humanitarian crisis. I have asked the government to declare the area in a state of emergency. This cannot continue for much longer."
Speaking after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Mr Tusk said that, for the first time, a "European consensus" was emerging over how to handle the crisis. He also called on Macedonia, a republic of the former Yugoslavia seeking to join the EU, to open its borders immediately.
Mr Tusk, who is on a diplomatic tour ahead of an EU-Turkey summit on Monday, also said he had been told by Mr Erdogan that Turkey was ready to take back all migrants apprehended in Turkish waters. "The European Union needs to implement severe action against the countries that are closing borders today, whether they are members of the European Union or candidate members,'" he said.
On Thursday, Mr Tusk issued a warning to illegal economic migrants not to try to reach Europe, "This is unacceptable what they are doing."
He also proposed "a fast and large-scale mechanism to ship back irregular migrants" arriving in Greece. At least 2,000 new migrants are registered in Greece every day, most of them having made a hazardous journey by boat to the Greek islands off Turkey.
On Friday, Mr Erdogan suggested a new city could be built for migrants in northern Syria, with the support of the international community. Earlier this week, EU officials announced an aid plan that would allocate €300m (£233m; $325m) this year to help EU states deal with the migration crisis.
In other developments: The EU is to hold a summit with Turkey in Brussels on Monday to discuss further action to tackle the migrant crisis.
On Friday, the European Commission unveiled a proposal to restore a fully-functioning border-free area by the end of the year.
Among the measures, it says countries must stop the "wave-through" procedure of allowing migrants to move from one country to another, along with support for external border controls, particularly for Greece.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.