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EU Migrant Crisis Deepens as Slovak PM Declares Quotas 'Politically Finished'

© REUTERS / Marko DjuricaA group of people wait to get accommodation at the entrance of a camp for refugees and migrants in the Belgrade suburb of Krnjaca, Serbia, September 21, 2016.
A group of people wait to get accommodation at the entrance of a camp for refugees and migrants in the Belgrade suburb of Krnjaca, Serbia, September 21, 2016. - Sputnik International
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The EU migrant crisis has been plunged into further turmoil after the Prime Minister of Slovakia - which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU - Robert Fico, declared plans to relocate 160,000 refugees by mandatory quota across member states "politically finished."

EU Commission Chief Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament President Martin Schulz - Sputnik International
EU Chiefs in Talks as Divisions Deepen Over Migrant Crisis
Plans originally put forward by the European Commission to relocate 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to each EU member state, according to a mandatory quota system, have been in chaos since they were agreed in September 2015.

Many countries — particularly in Eastern Europe — have refused to go along with the scheme, with both Slovakia and Hungary challenging the scheme in the European Court of Justice. 

Now, Slovakia's Prime Minister has delivered a huge blow to the plan, telling journalists:

"Quotas today clearly divide the EU, therefore I think they are politically finished."

The migrant crisis has divided the EU, with many countries erecting border controls — including razor wire fences — to stem the flow of migrants flooding into Europe from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, neighboring refugee camps in the Middle East, as well as Africa.

Significant Opposition

The massive increase of migrants in 2015 — following German Chancellor Angela Merkel's declaration that Germany's doors were open to refugees — the situation worsened and the principle of a borderless EU — the Schengen Zone — was thrown out of the window.

​Greece and Italy bore the brunt of the crisis, with tens of thousands making the journeys across the West Balkan route, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to reach refuge. Many traveled on further, but tens of thousands are still in camps.

The scheme to relocate 160,000 form Greece and Italy to EU members states has only — so far — actually relocated 5,595, as many countries are refusing to take them in — particularly because of a rise in Islamophobia.

Hungary is holding a referendum on the mandatory quota plan, October 2, which is expected to overwhelmingly support its government's position. There have been street protests in Poland with many backing the Warsaw Government's refusal to take in refugees — particularly Muslims.

​The fact that Fico has declared the quota plans "finished" is significant as Slovakia holds the rotating presidency of the EU, which will make it politically difficult for Brussels to impose the scheme in practice. Slovakia is also a member of the Visegrad group — along with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland — which represents a significant bloc, opposing the quota scheme.

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