(AP) — European Union nations took a step Monday toward isolating Greece amid acrimony over Athens' failure to stem the flow of migrants at its Mediterranean island borders.

Despite choppy seas and wintry conditions, more than 2,000 people are arriving in Greece daily, according to EU figures. Athens is under pressure to register and keep those coming in. Several EU nations have said that they could isolate Greece by closing off their borders so that incoming refugees would have to remain there.

The member states "gave a clear signal" that if they can't stop the migrants reaching Greece, they would consider helping Greece's neighbor Macedonia to better seal its border to slow the movement of migrants into other European countries, said Dutch State Secretary Klaas Dijkhoff.

Greek Immigration Minister Ioannis Mouzalas conceded his country was struggling to cope with the flow, but blamed EU member states for failing to provide enough manpower and boats to patrol Aegean Sea islands just a few kilometers (miles) from Turkey's coast and not honoring pledges to relocate migrants.

Mouzalas told reporters Athens wanted 1,800 officers from the EU border patrol force known as Frontex, but got only 800. Of the 28 coast guard ships requested by Greece, only six have arrived, he added.

Mouzalas called the idea of sending Frontex officers to the Greek-Macedonian border to halt migrants there "illegal" and insisted more Frontex officers should be sent to his country instead.