EU member states on Friday gave Greece a three-month ultimatum to remedy "deficiencies" in controlling the influx of migrants or effectively face suspension from the Schengen passport-free zone. The decision -- taken by ministers over Greek objections -- is the culmination of weeks of pressure on Greece, the main gateway for the million refugees and migrants who entered Europe last year, stoking the continent's biggest such crisis since World War II.Austria's foreign minister Sebastian Kurz then warned Macedonia that it should be ready to close its border to migrants, saying that Vienna may also begin turning refugees away in coming months as it struggles to cope with the surge from Greece through the Balkans.
A report adopted 10 days earlier by the European Commission, the EU executive, found Greece was failing to properly register and fingerprint migrants during inspections at the Turkish land border and several islands in the Aegean Sea last November.
"It is of utmost importance that Greece addresses the issues identified in the report adopted by the Commission as a matter of priority and urgency," EU ministers said in a document containing 50 recommendations published on the European Council website.
The document gave Greece, which is already struggling to emerge from a massive debt crisis, one month to "establish an action plan to remedy the deficiencies." After a further two months, Greece must report back on how the scheme is being implemented.
If Greece fails to remedy the problems by mid-May, Brussels could authorise other member states to exceptionally extend border controls within the EU's cherished Schengen area, including with Greece, for up to two years, instead of the normal six months. Such a scenario is outlined under article 26 of the Schengen border code.
Germany, which along with other member states introduced such border controls late last year, on Thursday extended the measures until May, the limit under current Schengen provisions.
An EU source told AFP that Greece voted against the ultimatum, while Cyprus and Bulgaria abstained.
In a document published on the European Council website, Greece rejected the report's contention that it was responsible for "serious deficiencies" in border control and denied it was "seriously neglecting its obligations."
Greece also said it had taken a number of measures at "substantial national financial and social cost" and reminded Brussels that the massive influx on its borders would put any member state under "severe pressure." However, it said it would continue cooperating with the EU and its institutions in dealing with the crisis.
The council website said Greece had to take action on registration procedures, sea border surveillance, border checks, risk analyses, human resources and training as well as equipment and international cooperation.