Europe Seeks An Agreement On How To Tackle The Migrant Crisis

 

The European Union will try to reach an agreement on Monday July 20,2015 to tackle the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean despite resistance from Spain and Poland, who say they are not ready to absorb large numbers of new asylum seekers

An estimated 150,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea so far in 2015, most of them arriving in Italy and Greece, the International Organization for Migration said.

 More than 1,900 migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean, twice the toll during 2014

A deal soon is critical, as the EU needs to turn its attention to the growing numbers of asylum seekers crossing the Balkan peninsula to reach Central Europe.

Under the plan, the Commission wants EU governments to take in 20,000 refugees from their countries of origin or in transit, such as displaced Syrians, or in neighboring Lebanon or Jordan.

In addition, to reduce the pressure on the southern European countries where many migrants first land, EU governments must also agree to distribute 40,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other EU countries over the next two years
Hungary has received the EU's highest number of asylum applications in the first quarter of 2015

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said it was time the European Union had "a foreign and interior policy aimed at solidarity." "I expect that today home affairs ministers will take decisions which are in line with what has been already agreed by all together,"