EU says Greece making 'incredible effort' on migrants

Greece is making an "incredible" effort to tackle the EU's migration crisis following a controversial deal with Turkey, European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans said on Thursday.

The assessment comes two weeks before the commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is due to give its verdict on whether Greece has done enough to protect the external borders of the EU's Schengen passport-free area.

Turkey agreed in March to take back all migrants who do not qualify for asylum who land in the Greek islands, the main point of entry to Europe, in an agreement involving complex logistics for the registration and return of refugees.

Since the deal came into force on March 20 numbers of migrants and refugees arriving in the Greek islands after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey have sharply dropped.