Published : 14-04-2021
A new migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos has been given the go ahead after a vote by the local municipal council. The exact location of the camp is not yet clear.
The Municipal Council of Mytilene, on the northern Aegean island of Lesbos, first convened last Wednesday (April 7) and talks continued into the weekend before confirming a consensus for the new, modern, closed camp to be built.
However, instead of confirming the previous decision for the creation of the new facility for asylum seekers in the remote location of Vastria, the council voted in favor of a second option, the creation of the new facility without a specific geographical designation. The location is to be defined by the council at a later date.
The move comes just a week after a visit by the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, whose presence was greeted by strong opposition from local residents and communities living near the planned site in the Vastria area.
The exact location of the new site remains to be seen, but reports stated it will be in a remote location, away from any towns or villages.
The new structure's standard capacity will be 3,000 people, but it will be able to accommodate an additional 2,000 people.
While locals are against the move, in whatever location it may be, the truth is that the new facility is much needed for the migrant population currently living at the main camp at Kara Tepe.
The notoriously squalid 'tent city', or 'Moria 2.0' as it has been described by NGO's, human rights groups and media observers alike, is desperately primitive and overcrowded.
Greece's migration minister Notis Mitarakis said on Twitter: "The Municipal Council of Mytilene chose for the second time to leave behind the effects of immigration by closing the existing structures and apartments and creating a safe structure outside the city."
A new migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos has been given the go ahead after a vote by the local municipal council. The exact location of the camp is not yet clear.
The Municipal Council of Mytilene, on the northern Aegean island of Lesbos, first convened last Wednesday (April 7) and talks continued into the weekend before confirming a consensus for the new, modern, closed camp to be built.
However, instead of confirming the previous decision for the creation of the new facility for asylum seekers in the remote location of Vastria, the council voted in favor of a second option, the creation of the new facility without a specific geographical designation. The location is to be defined by the council at a later date.
The move comes just a week after a visit by the EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, whose presence was greeted by strong opposition from local residents and communities living near the planned site in the Vastria area.
The exact location of the new site remains to be seen, but reports stated it will be in a remote location, away from any towns or villages.
The new structure's standard capacity will be 3,000 people, but it will be able to accommodate an additional 2,000 people.
While locals are against the move, in whatever location it may be, the truth is that the new facility is much needed for the migrant population currently living at the main camp at Kara Tepe.
The notoriously squalid 'tent city', or 'Moria 2.0' as it has been described by NGO's, human rights groups and media observers alike, is desperately primitive and overcrowded.
Greece's migration minister Notis Mitarakis said on Twitter: "The Municipal Council of Mytilene chose for the second time to leave behind the effects of immigration by closing the existing structures and apartments and creating a safe structure outside the city."
