Finland to send experts to Greece

Finland is prepared to deploy several dozen experts to Greece to assist in the implementation of the agreement between the EU and Turkey. Ten asylum experts from the Finnish Immigration Service, ten police officers and four border management experts are on standby for deployment.

In addition, the deployment of the patrol vessel Merikarhu in the Frontex operation in Greece may be extended for a month until mid-May. Merikarhu has a crew of 20.

Finland also provides Greece with material assistance, such as tents, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Mechanism also enables the member states to deploy expert teams of 3–5 members. These teams would assist local authorities in building tent accommodation, for example, and help them with other tasks for which civil protection expertise is needed.

The EU and Turkey have agreed that all new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey to Greece are returned to Turkey and that for every Syrian being returned another Syrian refugee will be resettled to the EU. Greece has requested the member states to provide assistance in implementing the agreement, and the member states have promised to send experts to the country to assist in the registration of migrants and their return to Turkey. The final decision on the deployment of experts will be made after Greece has specified its request and the places where the experts will be deployed.

Inquiries

Laura Yli-Vakkuri, Director General, tel. +358 40 720 2216, [email protected]

This is an English translation of a press release originally issued in Finnish on 21 March 2016.