Barcelona and nine other cities offer to take in unaccompanied migrant minors
"We are prepared to receive them," say Ada Colau and other mayors in letter to EU institutions
The mayors of Barcelona and nine other cities have sent a letter to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council in which they offer to house unaccompanied migrant children currently in refugee camps in Greece.
Catalan capital mayor Ada Colau, along with the mayors of Ghent, Leipzig, Nuremberg, Amersfoort, Amsterdam, Arnhem, Utrecht, Tilburg, and Groningen – all members of the Eurocities network – laments the "deplorable" conditions found in these camps and state that their cities "are prepared to receive them."
"The humanitarian crisis is worsening rapidly," the letter goes on to read, in agreement with European Parliament president David Sassoli's March 22 statement calling for "solidarity with children in desperate need."
Latest estimates place the number of unaccompanied migrant minors in the Greek isles and the region bordering Turkey at around 5,500, with these 10 European mayors contending they can offer them what they need: "To get out of there, to have a home, to be safe, to have access to medical care and to be looked after by dedicated people."
Colau and the nine other mayors also profess their disposition to work with both national and European authorities in order to finalize "relocation agreements and realize accommodation solutions."