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Finnish Interior Ministry Offers to Raise Quota for Refugees - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Finnish Interior Ministry has proposed to raise the number of refugees that the country accepts, which currently stands at 750 per year, to 1,050 in order to help the most vulnerable refugees, Yle broadcaster reported on Friday.
Sputnik

The Yle broadcaster said, citing the ministry's report, that around 7,000 people were expected to apply for asylum in Finland this year, while 2018 would presumably see a decrease, with around 4,000 applicants.

The Finnish parliament already raised its usual quota of 750 to 1,050 in 2014 and 2015, when there was an influx of Syrian refugees fleeing conflict in their country.

READ MORE: Finland to Change Law on Refugees to Comply With EU Court Ruling

The final decision on the refugee quota will be made in late August, when the Finnish lawmakers are set to discuss the budget for the next year.

The issue of accommodating refugees is acute for the European countries, as millions of people are fleeing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East. While most refugees are arriving in Spain, Italy and Greece via the Mediterranean (almost 60,000 in the first seven months of 2018, according to UN figures), Northern Europe is also facing an influx. The UNHRC's overview published in May stipulates that over 4,300 asylum-seekers arrived in Finland in 2017, and over 1,000 of them were resettled.

READ MORE: Migrant Urges Germans, Austrians to Give Refugees 'Their Homes and Money'

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