1st refugees relocated from Greece fly to Luxembourg

The six families from Syria and Iraq marked the start of a program to relocate refugees who have arrived in Greece from nearby Turkey to other European Union countries without them having to make the arduous, often dangerous overland journey across the Balkans on foot.

Dozens of overcrowded inflatable dinghies and wooden boats reach Greek islands daily, even during bad weather.

Greek government and European officials present at Athens airport for the departure ceremony stressed Wednesday’s flight was just a symbolic start to a program that will expand.

On the bus to Luxembourg, the smiling refugee families waved to reporters, with one man saying “Luxembourg, very good!”

The relocation program seeks to transfer 160,000 refugees from EU countries on the front line of the migration crisis to other member states.

All officials stressed the practice of erecting barbed wire fences at EU borders to keep refugees out was not in line with European values.