More and more people are trying to take a boat to Greece - the camps are overcrowded

In 2019, around 38,000 people took over by boats to Greece from Turkey. If the trend persists, it will be more than last year, when 50,000 migrants and refugees made their way to the Greek islands.

- The conditions are terrible. The situation in Greece has worsened in recent weeks with overcrowded camps. Samos now has seven times more migrants and refugees than it has capacity for. In the Moria camp in Lesbos, 11,000 people are staying, four times more than there is room for, says Åsa Widell, secretary general of Sweden for UNHCR, fundraising partner for the UN refugee agency.

She believes that the EU should take greater responsibility.

- Greece is a country in economic crisis and must bear too heavy a burden, says Åsa Widell.

The largest group that now comes with boats across the Aegean is Afghans, probably people who have lived in Iran for a long time. Iran has major economic problems with an increasingly weak currency, partly because of US sanctions. The increasing risk of war may also be a reason for many to seek refuge in other countries.

- Iranian citizens also move to other countries, such as Iraq, in order to support themselves. It is even more difficult for the Afghans in Iran. They do not want to be the victims of a new war, says Nima Sarvestani, a documentary filmmaker of Iranian origin.

About 3 million Afghans live in Iran, according to Turkish estimates.

Syrians are also among those trying to cross over to Greece. Turkish President Erdogan plans to move Syrian refugees from Turkey to a so-called safe zone inside Syria. The war is still going on around the city of Idlib.

President Erdogan recently threatened the EU with opening the border to Greece unless Turkey received more support for the 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in the country. In 2016, Erdogan agreed to stop the wave of war refugees from Syria to Europe. In return, the EU promised to pay SEK 60 billion to Turkey.

- We provide emergency relief and medical care, but UNHCR is dependent on donations and the willingness to give money has decreased significantly in recent years, says Åsa Widell to SVT News.