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EU divided over compulsory refugee quotas
欧盟强制难民配额惹分歧
The EU is divided over emergency relocation plans proposed by the European Commission, which would enforce compulsory refugee quotas on EU member states.
The European Union is not united this time.
On Wednesday, the European Commission chief Jean Claude Juncker proposed a new plan to relocate 120,000 refugees through compulsory quotas, meaning each EU member state would be required to take in a certain number of people.
Germany, the country that has so far taken in most refugees, backs the proposal, saying the EU needs a binding agreement.
"We need a binding agreement on a binding distribution of refugees among all member states, according to fair criteria. It can't stay the way it is right now. It would be a step forward if we could achieve what Jean Claude Juncker is proposing today," German chancellor Angela Merkel said.
And Spain is backing Germany's stance. If the numbers proposed by the Commission are applied, the country would take in nearly 15,000 refugees on top of the ones its already admitted.
"I will be very constructive and I will accept what the European Commission suggests. The Commission must provide suggestions, and things need to be done in an orderly manner," Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.
But many other states are not that supportive on the compulsory quotas. Countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have all been resistant to the idea and opposition has already been voiced.
"One thing we didn't agree with in the Juncker statement, is a mechanism for compulsory redistribution of refugees which doesn't make sense in the context of Europe. It doesn't bring about a solution and only diverts attention away from those fundamental problems, which are NOT to do with the consequences of the migration wave, but the causes," Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said.
According to the Commission's proposal, each country that admits refugees will receive 6,000 euros per person.
Hungary, Greece and Italy, where many of those to be relocated are currently based, will receive 500 euros per person.
But the promise of money seems to have done little to appease those opposed to the scheme, with many EU states worried about the long-term impact.
