Moria fire in Lesbos forces European Union to react
An aerial view of the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesvos after it was destroyed by fire.
AP Photo / Panagiotis Balaskas
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The fire that ravaged the Moria migrant camp on the island of Lesbos where nearly 13,000 people have since Wednesday had to sleep under the stars has forced Europe to react.
The German Minister of the Interior gave a joint press conference this morning with the European Commissioner in charge of the dossier.
Emergency humanitarian aid and a reconstruction of the camp are planned.
400 minors will be transferred to other countries;
others could follow.
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With our correspondent in Berlin,
Pascal Thibaut
Emergency humanitarian aid is a priority for Horst Seehofer.
The German Interior Minister announced that a first convoy with 1,400 beds and 1,000 tents was on its way to the island of Lesbos.
The vice-president of the European Commission who was there Thursday announced that a camp for migrants would be rebuilt as quickly as possible and managed in the future jointly by Greece and the European Union.
Horst Seehofer has confirmed that 400 unaccompanied minors will be transferred from Greece to ten other European countries.
Germany and France are each expected to welcome 100 to 150 young migrants.
The German Minister of the Interior, whom municipalities, regions and politicians are asking to go further, responded to these requests.
►Also read: Moria fire in Greece: thousands of migrants find themselves homeless on the island of Lesbos
“
The 400 miners are a first step.
A second will follow.
For me, families with children should be given priority during these transfers.
And it must go quickly,
”he explained.
But Horst Seehofer wants a European solution involving other countries while recognizing that not all will agree to welcome migrants.
The minister who wants to get a common European asylum policy moving forward welcomed the presentation of proposals at the end of the month by the committee.
Agreements with countries of origin and transit, better protection of European borders and greater solidarity between the 27 were announced by Margaritis Schinas.
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International Migration
Germany
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Greece
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Greece: a major fire ravages the Moria migrant camp in Lesbos