The number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece has fallen sharply in the week since the EU agreed a deal with Ankara to return new arrivals to Turkey.
But Greek officials and international aid agencies cautioned it was too early to be certain the EU-Turkey deal was responsible for the sudden drop in activity by people smugglers operating between Turkey and the Aegean Islands.
During his traditional Easter speech in Rome Pope Francis condemned those who fail to help migrants.
The pontiff urged people “not to forget those men and women seeking a better future, an ever more numerous throng of migrants and refugees — including many children — fleeing from war, hunger, poverty and social injustice”.
Between March 20 — the day the deal went into effect — and March 26, daily arrivals fell from 930 to 78. On Sunday there were 73 arrivals, according to official figures published by the Greek government.
“There’s been a big decrease in numbers which is good, but it’s too soon to draw conclusions,” said a spokesman for the government’s migration policy co-ordination unit.
“We’ve seen the numbers decline on previous occasions then spike again. This latest fall could be the effect of bad weather last week in the Aegean.”
Daily arrivals in the first three weeks of March on the half-dozen Aegean Islands regularly targeted by smugglers swung between 250 and 3,300, he added.
Officials in Lesbos, which received more than three-quarters of last week’s migrant traffic, were also sceptical that the lower migrant flows would continue.
“It’s too early, a week’s not enough to reveal a trend,” said Panos Navrozidis, country director for the US-based International Rescue Committee.
The EU deal with Turkey requires new asylum seekers to be returned to Turkey. In exchange, one refugee living in Turkey will be accepted for resettlement in the EU for each one sent back from Greece. Greece has asked its EU partners to send 4,000 judges, asylum experts and security officers to help implement the deal with Turkey.
The first returns from Greece were due to take place on Monday but Greek officials have said they would be delayed until at least April 4 because of administrative problems over arranging asylum hearings on the islands.
The government has pledged asylum seekers will be granted individual hearings in line with international practice.
In Izmir, a coastal city that has served as a major hub for migrants and refugees bound for the Greek islands, crossings have slowed considerably, locals said.
“There are still some people trying to go, but much less than before,” said Ahmad, a Syrian refugee who had previously worked as a smuggler.
“Most of the smugglers went to Greece one or two days before the [deal] with Turkey,” Ahmad said, speaking over the phone.
Bad weather also appears to have been a factor. Ahmad said he knew of a family that had attempted the perilous crossing to Greece twice over the past week. Each time, he said, their boat had to turn back because of high waves. They were going to try again in a few days.
The number of migrants arriving in Izmir have been dropping since January after Turkey imposed visa requirements on Syrian nationals coming by air or sea, mostly from Jordan and Lebanon, said Ziyad Othman, a Syrian lawyer.
Hotels that had previously been packed with people preparing to cross were starting to empty, he added. “Before they were charging 40 lira per person, now they are charging 20 to 25.”
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Migrant arrivals in Greece drop
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