EU executive puts forward new migrant-settlement proposal
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 4 May 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, EU executive puts forward new migrant-settlement proposal, 4 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/576900af9.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 04, 2016
The European Commission is proposing that EU member states be obliged to take in asylum seekers from overburdened countries in the bloc or else pay hefty fees.
But the proposal unveiled on May 4 by the EU's executive arm was met with quick opposition from Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, all vocal critics of EU efforts to disperse migrants more equally across the bloc.
The EU's so-called Dublin rules, which compel asylum seekers to register their claim in the first EU member state they reach, broke down last year when more than 1 million migrants reached the continent, with most of them first setting foot in Greece.
Athens was overwhelmed by the arrivals and allowed many of them to continue on toward wealthy, more northern European states such as Germany and Sweden.
This put pressure on countries along the route and led to the reintroduction of border controls within the passport-free Schengen area.
Based on reporting by dpa and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
