The first refugees to be brought into the EU under a migrant-exchange deal with Turkey have arrived in Germany and Finland.

Two planes, each carrying 16 Syrian refugees, arrived from Istanbul in the northern German city of Hanover, according to the federal refugee office. They were taken by bus to a reception camp about 90 miles away in Friedland, near Göttingen.

Most of the newcomers to Germany were said by the interior ministry to be young families with children, but no details of their identities were released. The 32 are believed to be from three separate families. German authorities asked journalists to respect their privacy.

Eleven more Syrians from three families, meanwhile, arrived in Finland by plane directly from Turkey.

First boats returning migrants and refugees from Greece arrive in Turkey Read more

Their legal transfers under an agreement made between Turkey and the EU last month took place as Greece officially began to return migrants and refugees to Turkey.

Under the agreement, all “irregular migrants” arriving in Greece from Turkey since 20 March face being sent back. Each case is meant to be examined individually. For every Syrian refugee returned, another Syrian refugee will theoretically be resettled from Turkey to the EU, with numbers capped at 72,000.

The number of Syrians arriving in Germany and Finland from Turkey – 43 – does not tally with the two to three Syrians understood to have been returned from Greece to Turkey on Monday morning, suggesting that the twin operations are more a carefully coordinated attempt by the EU to demonstrate that its pact with Ankara is working than a precise enacting of the plan. Brussels has also agreed to provide the Turkish government with money to cover the costs of looking after those who have fled the civil war in Syria and have taken refuge in Turkey.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, is still under intense domestic pressure to ensure that there is no repeat of the situation where 1.1 million migrants and refugees arrived in Germany last year. Tens of thousands have already arrived this year.

Human rights organisations have been highly critical of the plans, warning that individuals may be prevented from claiming asylum under the scheme.

German observers are closely following the progress of the pact, not least the impact it will have on Merkel’s refugee policy, which has been widely criticised both at home and abroad. Spiegel Online commented on Monday: “If it works, this plan sends out the right signal … connected to the message that those who are really in need of protection will continue to be helped to find legal ways to get to Europe. With the Turkey deal, Angela Merkel is operating an active refugee-crisis policy for the first time since the open-borders policy in September.”

It added that while Germany profited from the recent closure of the Balkan route, because fewer refugees were able to enter Germany, “it was not her idea. On the other hand she has obliged the other 27 EU nations to take part in the course of action with Turkey. And in so doing she carries the main responsibility for the success or failure of this operation.”