Greece to plug refugee intake after reaching its 'limits'

Greek migration minister Ioannis Mouzalas has said the country will not be taking in any more refugees under the Dublin Regulation, as he says it is no longer able to cope with the amount of people entering the country.

The European Commission has put pressure on Athens to implement the controversial regulation once again, after it was given time to recover after problems with the country’s asylum system in 2011.

The Dublin Regulation stipulates that refugees can be returned to the European state in which they first arrived.

"We accommodate 60,000 refugees… and it would be a mistake to make Greece’s burden heavier by the revival of the Dublin agreement," Mouzalas told German newspaper Spiegel.

"Greece simply has no capacities to cope with additional arrival of refugees," he said. "We've just pulled ourselves together, so please, don't make us falter again."

In the interview, Mouzalas said that Greece had "reached its limits", adding that "we can’t bring a single refugee".

European shores received unprecedented numbers of refugees in the last two years, with thousands still stranded on Greek islands awaiting their next step.

"I want the Germans to understand that this is not because of political or ideological reasons, or failure to appreciate Germany’s assistance," he added.