European Proposals to Solve the Refugee Crisis
The European Council president Donald Tusk has announced that the refugee crisis will be analyzed at top level next week. The issue was also on the agenda of Romanias Higher Defense Council in Bucharest.
România Internațional, 18.09.2015, 14:28
The European Council President, Donald Tusk, has announced that an EU extraordinary summit devoted to the refugee crisis will be held on the 23rd of September, the day after the EU Interior Ministers’ summit on the same topic. The European leaders are expected to make a final decision regarding the mandatory refugee quotas, as the migrants’ situation is growing more dramatic by the day and the European Parliament has voted a resolution supporting the Commission’s proposal to relocate 120,000 migrants.
The aim of the resolution is to convey to the member states a political message of European solidarity. The Commission calls on the EU member countries to urgently take the necessary measures and to agree to the compulsory quotas. In turn, they will get 6000 Euros for each relocated person, including a pre-funding rate of 50%, which would allow authorities to take rapid action. The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, says that the European Commission can help settle the crisis through European funding.
Corina Cretu: “Even in the 2007-2014 programming period, some regions and member countries chose to use structural and investment funds for the social integration of migrants. I can give you an example, by making a comparison between Italy and Greece. Italy decided to build shelters with European money. Greece, on the other hand, did not resort to the European funds, it used the money for other purposes.”
In Bucharest, the migration crisis and its causes were analyzed by the country’s Higher Defense Council on Thursday. The conclusion was that, at next week’s Justice and Home Affairs Council, Romania will stand against the mandatory quotas of refugees. The announcement was made by president Klaus Iohannis, who admitted, though, that Romania might be forced by the EU to accept a bigger number of refugees. If so, Romania will probably resort to European funding.
Klaus Iohannis: “ If this happens, it’s clear we will have to do something. No decision has been made yet, but there is a potential solution, namely of using European funds to extend the existing facilities for refugees, or, in extremis, even building new centers for refugees, also with European money.”
According to Brussels’ proposal, Romania should take in some 6000 refugees, although it has announced it can only manage 1785 migrants.
