Greece pledges to speed up delivery of migrant "Hotspot" centers

Greece says it will speed up completion of five migrant registration centers and two relocation camps after the European Commission chided it for neglecting its duties to Europe's passport-free Schengen zone.

European Union (EU) interior ministers urged Athens last week to do more to control the influx of migrants, some threatening exclusion from the Schengen zone, as the crisis increasingly divides bloc members.

Greece was the main gateway to Europe for more than a million refugees and migrants who reached the EU last year. It has been criticized for a failure to control the flow of arrivals, which has shown little sign of easing over the winter.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ office said that the completion of "hot spot" registration centers for refugees and migrants on the islands of Samos, Lesvos, Chios, Kos and Leros near the Turkish coast would now gain pace.

The government will also complete two relocation camps on the mainland, with the defense ministry taking a more active role to ensure that the five hotspots will be ready to operate in the next two weeks.

SOURCE: IOM