PLENARY SESSION Press release – Immigration − 17-09-2015 – 11:04.An emergency proposal to relocate 120,000 asylum seekers from Italy, Greece and Hungary among EU member states was backed by Parliament on Thursday. The first temporary emergency rules for relocating an initial 40,000 over two years from Italy and Greece only were approved by Parliament on 9 September.
Parliament’s backing in record time of the European Commission’s 9 September proposal to relocate 120,000 asylum seekers sends a clear signal to EU home affairs ministers, who meet again on Tuesday 22 September, that it is high time to act and finally agree on this second emergency scheme.
Under the Commission proposal, additional 120,000 asylum seekers would be relocated from Italy (15,600), Greece (50,400) and Hungary (54,000). This number comes on top of the initial scheme to relocate 40,000 asylum seekers, approved by Parliament on 9 September and endorsed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 14 September The total number of people to be relocated is thus 160,000. Continue reading “MEPs give go-ahead to relocate an additional 120,000 asylum seekers in the EU”