GETTY Greece has asked the EU to speed up relocation of migrants and refugees

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A European Commission deal was agreed last year - which the UK opted out of - to ease pressure on Greece and Italy by resettling 160,000 Syrian, Eritrean and Iraqi migrants arriving on their shores in other European countries over two years. So far just under 4,000 people have been relocated under the scheme which an Italian minister yesterday branded a “flop”. Greece, which is hosting more than 58,000 migrants and refugees, appealed to the EU to speed up the programme. Greek Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas said: “At the moment we have 7,000 people ready to be relocated and no answers from the EU member states which would be obliged to accept them.

“Therefore, we ask for this gap to be covered.” A team of Greek ministers will tour member states next month to pile on the pressure. Central European countries like Hungary and Slovakia have opposed the relocation quota. Britain opted out of it, with Britain promising instead to resettle up to 20,000 Syrian refugees from Syria’s neighbours by 2020 - to avoid encouraging more families to risk their lives crossing the sea to Europe.

Greek migrant crisis Tue, June 28, 2016 Hundreds of migrants deported to Turkey, as part of EU-Turkey Refugee Deal. Play slideshow EPA 1 of 141 Greek Orthodox monk welcoming refugees arriving on a dinghy on a northeastern coast of the island of Lesvos, Greece

Up until now the relocation has been a real flop Angelino Alfano

Italy said yesterday that Germany had agreed to take in hundreds of people who are trapped in Italy, in a bid to revive the failing relocation programme. Only a few hundred refugees have so far been flown out of Italy under the EU deal, said Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano. He said: “Up until now the relocation has been a real flop. “But today we have heard that from September hundreds of refugees will be able to go each month to Germany. If things go well with Germany, we think they will also go well with other countries.”

GETTY Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said only a few hundred refugees had left Italy

Official figures show more than 420,000 migrants and refugees from Syria and other countries have landed in Italy since the start of 2014. Many have had hopes of reaching richer northern European nations thwarted by a border crackdown, leading to overcrowding in Italian transit centres and camps.

GETTY Over 420,000 refugees have arrived in Italy since 2014

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has already faced criticism at home for opening her country’s doors to more than one million migrants last year - boosting support for the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party. Mr Alfano said Germany would send an “extremely strong” message if it took in more refugees from Italy “because if Germany can do it, then so can all those who have not put in the huge effort that Germany already has”.

GETTY Angela Merkel has come under fire for her open-door migrant policy