The European Union’s executive yesterday proposed taking in 20,000 refugees over two years and distributing them across Europe but giving Britain, Ireland and Denmark the option not to accept any.
Shocked by the deaths of migrants from North Africa trying to reach Europe across the Mediterranean, the European Union is trying to put in place a fairer way to resettle asylum-seekers at a time when anti-immigrant parties are on the rise, reported Reuters.
Italy and other southern European countries are clamouring for EU help to deal with the influx but, while Italy, Germany and Austria back a quota system, some EU states are opposed.
“No country should be left alone to address huge migratory pressures,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on his Twitter account after the proposals were published.
Under a quota scheme based on country size, economic output and other measures, Germany would take the most migrants followed by France and Italy, assuming Britain opts out.
Meanwhile, hours before the plans were unveiled, British interior minister, Theresa May, criticised the EU’s approach, saying that by not sending economic migrants back, the bloc was encouraging them to come.
Home Secretary Theresa May in an article in The Times newspaper, said a proposal for EU states to accept a binding quota of refugees would only encourage more to make the dangerous sea crossing, reported AFP.
“The EU should work to establish safe landing sites in North Africa, underpinned by an active programme of returns,” she wrote.
She added: “I disagree with the suggestion by the EU’s high representative, Federica Mogherini, that ‘no migrants’ intercepted at sea should be ‘sent back against their will’.
“Such an approach would only act as an increased pull factor across the Mediterranean and encourage more people to put their lives at risk.”
Britain last year refused to contribute to an EU search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean, arguing they would only encourage more migrants.
However, a Royal Navy ship has been helping rescue efforts for the past fortnight and yesterday it rescued 445 people from four inflatable boats, according to the defence ministry.
The ministry released photographs and video footage of sailors from HMS Bulwark throwing life-jackets to the occupants of the packed boats before pulling them onto one of the ship’s landing craft. The migrants will be taken to Italy.
In a BBC interview, May said the priority should be to deal with the people traffickers who brought the migrants across the Mediterranean.
“Europe is not going to be able to accommodate the several million people who have been disrupted from Syria, many of whom actually want to be able to stay in the region and to be able at some stage to go home,” she said.
“The best way to help those is what we as a government are doing – £800 million, helping in those refugee camps.”
However, Juncker in a video to accompany the Commission’s proposal said Europe needed immigrants as its workforce will dwindle by 2060, reported Reuters.
His right-hand-man, Frans Timmermans, told a news conference that returning some migrants was still part of the EU’s policy and that Britain’s May “can rest assured” that not all refugees will be granted asylum.
Britain, Denmark and Ireland have exemptions on matters concerning asylum, immigration, visas and external border controls based on protocols agreed in the EU’s Lisbon treaty.
With only 25 countries of the EU’s 28 member countries likely to take part, Germany will take 18.42 percent of refugees, followed by 14.17 percent in France, and 11.84 percent in Italy. Spain will take just less than 10 percent.
Sweden, which after Germany received the most asylum applications in Europe in 2014, will take about 3 percent. The Commission’s formal proposal to EU governments will come at the end of the month.