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From the start Greece has stressed the need for all parties to abide by international law and to that end launched an international diplomatic blitz.

'We have the issue of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean which is not the affair of Greece and Cyprus alone but an EU issue,' Michel said

Only France is stepping forward to staunchly and with clear judgment support Greece’s just positions. Other EU countries, however, are not doing their part as their interests have led them to adopt a neutral stance.

At times indifferent, at other times weak, and at other times hiding behind the refusal of local societies to bear their portion of the burden, the competent officials had buried their heads in the sand with the hope that the problem would gradually disappear.

With Greek-Turkish tensions and the pandemic crisis having put the entire country on red alert suddenly the refugee issue exploded.

Before the decision to turn the museum of the Christian Basilica of Hagia Sophia into a mosque and yesterday’s NAVTEX (a navigational warning), since May, 2019, there were a series of provocative actions by Turkey

French President Emmanuel Macron issued a stern message to Turkey criticising its activity in Libya but other EU states are not on board and there is no solid EU front against Turkey.

The High Court delivered its decision just as the next and largest ECB bond-buying programme to address the problems borne of the coronavirus crisis is being launched.

Europe now has an ideal opportunity to act decisively and thus ensure its long-term prospects as a cohesive and useful supra-national structure that ensures the well-being of the peoples of the Union.

Much like her predecessor Mario Draghi, ECB chief Christine Lagarde has declared she will do anything necessary to shore up the eurozone and temper the economic shock of the pandemic.

It is not easy at difficult moments to be magnanimous. Yet it is at such times that generosity characterises great leadership, as did the perceptiveness and moral leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel during the refugee crisis of 2015.

The wealthy states of Northern Europe and especially Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland continue to stubbornly refuse to adopt bold economic measures in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

The current unprecedented crisis constitutes a major temptation for authoritarian rulers everywhere to usurp more power.

The Turkish leadership went as far as to liken the situation at the border to the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust. This disrespected the memory of the millions brutally murdered by the Nazis.

It would be disastrous to leave the economy to its own devices as many governments in Europe realise though there are glaring and unfortunate exceptions, which have made the situation even more difficult.

Greece and the enitire EU responded effectively when migrants and refugees in Evros were exploited by Ankara as a tool of blackmail to achieve objectives that were anything but humanitarian.

If the emergency measures had not been taken the number of cases would have risen tenfold and it could easily have spun out of control MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Professor Constantinos Daskalakis told Mega television.

It is in no one’s interest for the economy to shrink again due to recessionary policies and policies that will not facilitate an extremely swift remedy of the major additional wounds that it will suffer from the virus.

A Greek crew member is heard on the video shouting, 'They have broken our rails. [Record] everything on video.' Another crew member said, “They are in our waters and hit us from behind. It has caused damage.”

Erdogan can do anything in the darkness that surrounds him but that is also his Achilles’ heel – the prospect of being destroyed by his megalomaniacal nature and abuse of the tools he believes he has at his disposal.

The Greek government displayed quick reflexes from the beginning of the crisis when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to open his side of the Greek-Turkish border.

From that perspective, Germany has an historic obligation to lead Europe to abandon the role of passive observer as regards Syria and make it an active player.

One senior EU diplomat said the EU had squandered the time since the 2016 deal, brushing the problem under the carpet by paying for refugees and migrants to be kept in Turkey.

Solidarity with Greece in handling the migration crisis must be continual and uninterrupted and must be offered with a swiftness to which the EU is not accustomed

'We have just been to the border area and have seen how tense and how difficult the situation is. The Greek authorities are facing a very difficult task in containing the situation and I want to thank the Greek border guards, the coast guards, the civilians, the police, the servicemen and servicewomen, and Frontex for their tireless effort, said Ursula von der Leyen.