Greece pulls Austria envoy as migrant crisis worsens

Brussels, Feb 26: Greece furiously recalled its ambassador from Austria and Brussels warned the bloc's migration system could collapse within 10 days as Europe's refugee crisis neared breaking point.

Further chaos loomed as a French court yesterday approved the partial evacuation of the "Jungle" migrant camp near the port of Calais on the coast, a move that Belgium fears will send Britain-bound migrants coming its way.

Attempts by EU interior ministers meeting in Brussels to agree a unified response to the biggest migration crisis in the bloc's history frayed over the fact that many states are increasingly taking matters into their own hands.

The talks descended into acrimony over Austria's decision to freeze Greece out of a meeting earlier this week with Balkan states, at which they agreed steps that would effectively trap many asylum seekers on Greek territory.

Debt-stricken Greece, the main landing point for most migrants arriving in Europe from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, faces huge pressure to stop "waving through" migrants to the rest of the EU. The Greek foreign ministry hit out at what it called "19th-century" attitudes and said it was recalling its envoy from Vienna to "safeguard friendly relations between the states and peoples of Greece and Austria".

AFP