Greece has said it will close camps, replacing them with restrictive holding centers. The government said it would tighten border controls and clear bottlenecks in asylum vetting procedures.
Image: Reuters/C. Baltas
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Greece announced plans to close a number of refugee camps on Wednesday as part of efforts to deter asylum seekers from coming to the country.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said: "A clear message should be sent to those planning, or thinking of coming to the country illegally when they aren't entitled to asylum."
"They should realize ... if they give money to a trafficker to bring them to Greece they will lose it."
The refugee camps in question are built on a number of Greek islands and the government, which assumed power in July this year, has been concerned about the ease of refugees reaching the mainland.
Petsas said authorities would construct "closed pre-departure centers," which would make it easier to monitor the movements of asylum seekers and stop them from making their way to the mainland undetected.
Living conditions for some 37,000 people in the camps have been decried by aid groups as appalling.
Camps on the islands of Lesbos and four others in the eastern Aegean Sea are enduring serious overcrowding, with hundreds of families sleeping in tents, often in poor sanitary conditions.
Women outside their tents at a makeshift camp for refugees and migrants next to the notorious Moria camp, shortly after a rainfall on the island of LesbosImage: Reuters/E. Marcou
"In the short term, we will return security and control to the areas affected by the crisis," Stefanis said of the plans which will be implemented from January 1 2020.
This year, so far, has seen a huge influx of refugees arriving in Lesbos. Conditions in the Moria camp are steadily becoming worse and refugees are often left to their own devices.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
A view from above
Moria refugee camp has a capacity of 3,000. Currently, some 14,500 refugees are squeezed into the infamous refugee camp, Greece's largest reception and identification center.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
Deep wounds
A large majority of those who live in Moria have been deemed as vulnerable and are in need of immediate medical assistance. This girl from Gaza, who lives with her family in a tent in the olive grove outside Moria, was severely injured when an Israeli rocket hit her home.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
A false dawn?
In August more than 2,800 people arrived in dinghies on the island of Lesbos. A boat carrying 40 people was brought into the port of Skala Sikamineas after it was intercepted by Frontex, the EU's border agency. Eight women and 18 children, including five unaccompanied minors, were on board along with 14 men, all from Afghanistan.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
The wait begins
After the women and children have been transferred to a transit camp, 18 men wait to be taken away to the same camp by the authorities. Volunteers with the NGO Lighthouse relief assist the authorities in providing food and water to those who have recently arrived.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
Keeping the tradition alive
An Afghan woman makes bread in a makeshift underground oven which she then sells for €1 ($1.10) to other refugees. Due to deteriorating conditions and food provisions that are below standard quality many refugees who remain for long in the camp of Moria have found new ways to pass the day and remember home.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
A soothing hand
Countless refugees need urgent medical attention. Doctors without Borders operate an emergency clinic opposite Moria for the most urgent cases, as the main camp currently only has one doctor and the hospital of Mytilene is overwhelmed and in some cases unwilling to treat refugees.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
Discarded dreams
A "graveyard" of life jackets and boats on the island's north is a stark reminder of the last huge influx of refugees in 2015/16. Lesbos has been at the center of the refugee crisis for years as thousands of people have landed on its shores. Currently there are more than 11,000 refugees spread across the islands. That number is expected to rise sharply by the end of the year.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
Monotonous routine
Waiting in line has become the main daily activity for those stuck in Moria limbo — even for children. Some wait for hours in order to receive food and water.
Image: DW/D. Tosidis
From the frying pan into the fire
A group of refugees prepares to board a ship which will take them to mainland Greece. After the sudden arrival of 600 people in one night, the Greek government decided to transfer 1,400 people to the mainland. Most were taken to the camp of Nea Kavala in a remote village in northern Greece.
