EU Commission describes situation in Greek refugee camps as 'untenable'
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Conditions for refugees on Greek islands and in other camps where they are housed in tents despite severe cold weather are "untenable," the European Commission said Monday.
Heavy snowfall has hit large swaths of Greece, including the eastern Aegean islands where thousands of refugees are stranded, with temperatures falling well below freezing. A state of emergency has been declared in some parts of the country.
Giorgos Kyritsis, spokesman for the government's crisis committee on migration, told Greece's Skai television that just under 1,000 people remain housed in tents on the islands. The severe weather had been forecast well in advance, and the government has come under fire for not acting fast enough to ensure all refugees are adequately housed. Images aired on Greek media have shown tents covered with snow in at least one camp on the island of Lesbos.
