(AFP) Cyprus on Monday transferred 48 asylum seekers to Germany under a voluntary pilot scheme that will eventually see 500 relocated to help cope with a surge in migrants, authorities said.
The Cypriot interior ministry said the 48 applicants for international protection were relocated from Cyprus to Germany through a European Union solidarity mechanism for voluntary relocation.
EU member Cyprus says it is at the forefront of the bloc’s irregular migration flows, and last year reported the highest number of asylum applicants per capita.
“This is the first of a series of transfers that will take place in the coming months,” a ministry statement said.
