First Refugees Leave Greece to Brussels

Local Editor

The first refugees were leaving Greece on Wednesday under a relocation plan to ease pressure on countries bearing the brunt of Europe's migrant crisis. Some 30 Syrians and Iraqis were heading to start new lives in Luxembourg.

The six families, who were due to fly out from Athens airport at 06:30 GMT, are the first to be relocated from Greece under a plan laid out by Brussels to share out nearly 160,000 migrants across the bloc. The plan, however, is fiercely opposed by some EU members.

The families appeared very happy to be leaving. At the airport, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and Luxembourg's FM Jean Asselborn were there to greet them. The EU's migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos and European Parliament chief Martin Schulz were also there to see them off.

Tsipras said the families were making "a trip to hope". Yet, he warned that they are merely "a drop in the ocean" compared to the hundreds of thousands who have arrived on European shores this year.

On his part, Avramopoulos welcomed the departure of the first refugees from Greece under the relocation scheme, but warned that the EU was going to get tough on economic migrants who are simply seeking a better life rather than fleeing conflict.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team