ATHENS – Holding some 100,000 refugees and migrants who started coming in 2015, Greece is developing a plan to integrate thousands into society, with most seeking asylum.

A national scheme has been drafted in response to growing needs, Deputy Minister of Migration Policy Sofia Voultepsi said. “Our priority is the social integration of refugees and migrants and social cohesion,” she stressed, said Kathimerini.

The current refugee integration program, Helios,  was called successful but limited, as only 7,325 people have been included in the rent subsidy program, which requires them to attend Greek lessons and training courses.

In 2020, some 34,325 people received asylum, while an average of 4,500 asylum applications are processed per month, of whom four in 10 are approved, the report said.

That means that hundreds of new refugees each month need support in order to integrate into society and survive on their own as the government is trying to deal with a huge backlog of cases.