Europe’s asylum agency signs deal on boosting Greek presence

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Europe’s asylum agency has signed a deal with Greece that will help expand its operations in the country, which is struggling to process asylum requests amid high migrant arrivals and overcrowding in island camps. The European office and Greece had already agreed for the number of EASO staff employed in the country to double to more than 1,000, while the office’s funding will increase by 30%, from 27 million euros last year to 35 million in 2020. The deal was signed in Athens Tuesday. Thousands of people continue to arrive in Greece from neighboring Turkey each year, despite a 2016 European Union-Turkey agreement designed to stop migrant flows. Most head to Greek islands.