After a long informal EU summit in Brussels last night, on the migrant and refugee crisis, the European Union leaders agreed early today (September 24) on a more comprehensive European response, including more than €1 bn of emergency aid to UN and other agencies to meet the urgent needs of refugees currently in the Middle East, greater EU assistance to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and other countries dealing with the influx of Syrian refugees, and more resources, including personnel and equipment from EU countries, to help FRONTEX, Europol, and other EU organisations.


"Now the focus should be on the proper protection of our external borders and on external assistance to refugees and the countries in our neighbourhood" said EU President Donald Tusk, adding that the measures agreed are all necessary steps in the right direction but will not end the crisis.

Calling the meeting’s results “a positive step”, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras stressed after the meeting that “Europe has finally understood that the refugee issue is a European issue”, which calls for a European solution. The premier confirmed that welcome centres to register and house refugees at border countries will be set up by the end of November, and highlighted the need for collaboration with transit countries, especially Turkey, "to end the image of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas as a watery tomb for refugees looking for a better life in Europe".

European Council and European Commission presidents said they would host a meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 5 to discuss how to control the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece from its neighbouring country.

Read more @GreekNewsAgenda: More on migration & Opinion on managing the migration crisis