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EU increases aid to migrants in Greece ahead of winter

EU increases aid to migrants in Greece ahead of winter

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Syrian man hammers a nail on woods as he prepares his family tent for winter at Ritsona refugee camp north of Athens, which hosts about 600 refugees and migrants on Thursday, September 8, 2016. Photo: AP

THESSALONIKI:€” The European Union says it will add 115 million euros ($129 million) in funding to humanitarian organisations in Greece to assist programs for refugees and migrants ahead of the winter. Christos Stylianides, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, said Saturday the money would be used to support refugee schooling, food stamps, heating and living facilities for unaccompanied minors. He spoke in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki after meeting Greek government officials. Some 60,000 refugees and migrants are stranded in Greece due to European border closures. The money was pledged a day after US-based Human Rights Watch strongly criticised the government for continuing to use police cells to house unaccompanied migrant children.