(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) EU interior and justice ministers concluded here Monday night an extraordinary meeting on the migrant crisis but failed to make progress on the European Commission's proposal to relocate 120,000 refugees across the EU. EU Commissioner for home and migration and Dimitris Avramopoulos told a press conference after the meeting that the ministers had adopted a decision to relocate 40,000 migrants but added that on the 120,000 migrants "we did not have the agreement we wanted. Not all EU members wanted to move forward." The European Commission proposed in May the relocation of 40,000 refugees from Greece and Italy, and again last week the EU's executive committee proposed the relocation of another 120,000 refugees from Greece, Italy and Hungary across the EU.
But several East European countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland refused to accept any quotas on the redistribution of the migrants.
On his part, Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs, whose country holds the current EU Presidency, said the proposal on the relocation of 120,000 migrants needs to "be examined in detail and it is too early to take a decision today." He noted that the EU interior ministers aim to adopt a decision in their next meeting on October 8. Asselborn said that Turkey is of prime importance in dealing with the migrant crisis and called on closer cooperation with Turkey and also with relevant third countries.
Avramopoulos said leaders from Africa and Europe are to meet in Valetta, Malta, in November to discuss the migrants crisis but stressed that the EU has not proposed the setting up of camps to keep the migrants in African countries. Meanwhile, the European Commission in a statement said the "European Union can only function if everyone plays by the rules. The Schengen system and all its benefits can only be preserved if EU Member States work together swiftly, responsibly and with solidarity in managing the refugee crisis." "We must keep the borders between EU Member States open, but at the same time we also need stronger joint efforts to secure our external borders," it said after a number of EU countries reinstated border controls to stop the flow of migrants.
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