There is a deep division within Europe over the refugee crisis, with some countries blaming Germany and Sweden for having precipitated the mass movement of people by declaring their doors open to refugees from Syria and other war-torn countries.
Despite a series of summits to seek a consensus — with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker calling for the relocation of refugees throughout member states according to a quota system — Europe remains split over how to deal with the situation.
.@JunckerEU presented a state of play on measures to tackle the #RefugeeCrisis: https://t.co/XmNo7oaBO7 #MigrationEU pic.twitter.com/mn69VyJcIT
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) November 13, 2015
A plan to relocate 160,000 refugees has so far only moved just over 100 people amid arguments over refugee quotas.
In a statement released Friday, the European Commission conceded: "The measures proposed by the Commission and adopted by the Council [in September] to relocate 160,000 people in clear need of international protection will allow for a significant, if partial, reduction of the pressure on the most affected Member States."
The statement said:
"Central to the EU's strategy and credibility is to demonstrate that the migration system can be restored to proper functioning."
However, with more than 1.1 million refugees flooding to Germany alone this year, the plans has been widely derided, with the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk declaring:
"Every week decisions are taken in Europe, which testify to how grave the situation is: reintroduction of border controls, or 'technical barriers' at the borders.
"This is a clear demonstration that we need to regain the control of our external border. Clearly not as the only action but as the first and most important action; as a precondition for a European migration policy. The clock is ticking. We are under pressure. We need to act fast. As a Union," he said.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz warned: "The European Union is challenged as never before. This refugee and migration crisis will not go if we turn our heads away. It will only get worse.
"Globalization may be visible in our supermarkets or our cinemas. Now, whether we like it or not, it is also arriving on our shores."
