Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel faces domestic pressure to reduce arrivals of migrants and refugees, had reached a similar deal with Spain on August 8. "We have reached an agreement with Greece... and the conclusion is imminent," said Interior Ministry spokeswoman Eleonore Petermann on Friday, pointing to a last outstanding exchange of letters. "We assume that an agreement will also be reached with Italy." She gave no further details about the Athens agreement, but the deal reached with Madrid allows Berlin to send back Spanish-registered migrants within 48 hours of their arrival on German soil. Germany has since sought a series of bilateral agreements with EU partners, after a broader accord for the bloc proved elusive.

Source: The Local August 17, 2018 13:07 UTC