Catholic charity says EU to receive more refugees

Though the EU initiated a controversial refugee swap with Turkey in spring, displaced people continue to head for Europe, the Catholic aid organization Caritas warned in its annual press conference in Berlin. Tens of thousands of refugees are waiting in disastrous conditions in Balkan countries, said Peter Neher (pictured), the president of Caritas. (According to the UNHCR, more than 50,000 refugees are currently residing in the Balkans.) Many of them live in emergency dwellings; they often avoid official refugee shelters for fear of deportation. Neher said many hoped to find a gap that would allow them to slip onward, to northern EU countries. He called on the European Union to provide better financial assistance to Balkan nations and Greece, an EU member, which have become overwhelmed by the amount of work and supplies needed.
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