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EU's refugee relocation progress "shameful": EP president

Xinhua, December 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

European Parliament president Martin Schulz on Thursday said the progress of the refugee relocation plan in the European Union (EU) was "shameful," as less than 200 people had actually been resettled.

Addressing the leaders from the 28 member states of the EU at a summit, Schulz criticized the countries for their slow actions in coping with the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

"As the refugee and migration crisis enters winter, we must ask ourselves, does Europe have a plan, or are we improvizing day by day?" he asked.

According to the implementation report released by the EU Presidency of Luxembourg ahead of the summit, only 14 EU countries had made available 3,346 places and only 184 people (as of Dec. 16) had been relocated out of a total of 160,000, a figure that EU leaders agreed to share under a permanent relocation mechanism in September.

"This figure is shameful and I call on all member states to shoulder their responsibility," Schulz said.

Talking about the functioning of the hotspots, he said, "the lack of progress on the ground is very frustrating and it's unacceptable that we are having the same discussion today as we were having in October."

In October, Frontex and the European Asylum Support office called for national experts, but only about half the number requested has been reached.

Furthermore, Schulz pleaded with European Parliament leaders to fulfill their funding pledges to help refugees.

The EU is planning to spend 9.2 billion euros (10.5 billion U.S. dollars) on the refugee crisis in 2015 and 2016.

Member states, for their part, are supposed to deliver 2.8 billion euros, in a breakdown of 500 million euros for the UNHCR, World Food Program and other relevant organizations, 500 million euros for the EU Regional Trust Fund for Syria, and the remaining 1.8 billion euros for the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.

However, a large number of EU member states still needed to match EU funding on the issue.

"Make the needed funds available. This step will save lives," Schulz called.

The president said the European Parliament was working on its own "comprehensive, long-term, approach" to refugee policy, and their first proposals would be presented on Jan. 18. Endit