EU ministers disagree on immigration quotas

(Baonghean.vn) - European Union governments have failed to reach an agreement on how to divide tens of thousands of migrants pouring into southern Italy from northern Africa, raising concerns in Rome - which will have to deal with the Mediterranean migrant crisis.

Migrants at the port of Catania on Tuesday, June 16. Photo: AP

Interior ministers from the 28 member states met in Luxembourg and postponed decisions on proposals from Brussels for a new system to share the migrant burden through a mandatory quota system. The proposals, put forward by the European Commission last month, call for a fair distribution among EU countries with 40,000 refugees arriving in Italy and Greece.

“There is a difference of opinion,” said Latvian Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis, who chaired the meeting. “There is no common view on voluntary and compulsory.” The proposed policies would share refugees in a compulsory way, but opponents, mainly in eastern Europe, want the program to be voluntary.

There are tensions between Italy and France and Austria, which have closed their borders to stop migrants moving north. While ministers met in Luxembourg, hundreds of migrants camped on the Franco-Italian border and were unable to leave Italian territory.

Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Commissioner in charge of the matter, sought to calm the mood after a meeting that ended in five hours of debate and no agreement. "For me, it was a success," he said. "There is no room for criticism."

The immigration issue - one of the most contentious in the politics of the countries involved - will be taken up at an EU summit in Brussels next week. The conference will continue discussions at the end of July.

Phuong Thao

(According to The Guardian)