Pevkur: Authorities checking 15 more applicants for asylum or protection
After the first seven refugees arrived in Estonia in late March, 15 more are currently waiting for their background checks to be completed, Ministry of the Interior Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said.
“The materials of 15 people are currently being examined. Yesterday and the day before most of the interviews were done, the last interview with a family in Greece is scheduled for today”, Pevkur said at the government’s press conference on Thursday.
The authorities needed to make sure that the people interviewed could be brought to Estonia.
Earlier on Thursday the government decided to allocate a total of €2.5m to the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior to cover costs dealing with the European Union’s migration action plan.
Pevkur also said that Estonia was ready to receive up to 200 refugees based on the deal between the EU and Turkey. The exact number of applicants wasn’t clear yet, the minister said.
They would begin with about 20 people, and once the agreement would come into effect in full, another 150 to 180 people would follow, Pevkur said to daily Postimees. http://www.postimees.ee/3647111/eesti-votab-otse-turgist-vastu-200-sojapogenikku
The minister confirmed once again that the number of refugees taken on from Turkey didn’t change the EU quote, but would be counted among the 550 people Estonia agreed to receive.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn