Relocation program alone not enough to stabilize EU refugee crisis: UNHCR

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday urged EU leaders meeting in Brussels Tuesday and Wednesday to unite behind proposals aimed to address the growing refugee and migration crisis in Europe.

According to UNHCR, this could be the last opportunity for Europe to manage a crisis that is not only increasing the suffering and exploitation of countless refugees and migrants, but also compounding relations between countries.

"It is essential that the 120,000 additional places be approved this week for any relocation program to be credible," said UNHCR in a statement, which added that "the relocation program cannot be effectively implemented without creating adequate reception facilities in countries where refugees and migrants enter Europe."

According to the agency, some 6,000 individuals are arriving on European soil every day, hence the need for massive investment to deal with human and infrastructural pressure put on local authorities in countries such as Greece and Italy.

In light of this, UNHCR proposed a number of measures which aim to enable Europe to collectively resolve a situation it deemed manageable.

UNHCR called for the immediate creation of facilities in Greece combined with the expansion of those already present in Italy, so that people arriving by sea from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya can be efficiently received, assisted, registered and screened upon arrival.

Similar facilities may be needed in transit countries such as Serbia, indicated UNHCR, which also called for the immediate start of the relocation process for 40,000 migrants from Greece and Italy.

The UN Refugee Agency furthermore proposed reinforcing mechanisms for the humane return of people not in need of international protection, while highlighting the importance of stabilizing the situation in Europe's neighborhood through additional humanitarian funding and support to countries hosting large refugee populations.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), over 467,000 migrant maritime arrivals have been reported so far this year, most of them in Greece (336,968) and Italy (127,266).

As of Monday, 2,870 migrant fatalities in the Mediterranean Sea have been registered, compared to 3,036 for the whole of 2014.

In the latest development, EU ministers adopted a plan to relocate 120,000 migrants at an emergency meeting on Tuesday. Endit