However, it remains unclear how refugees can be made to stay in the countries to which they are assigned when most want to go to Germany, Sweden or other wealthy states.
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Under the joint plan adopted last summer, a few 160,000 refugees from states on the EU’s borders like Italy, Greece and Hungary, which have taken the larger portions of asylum seekers, will be transferred to neighboring counties.
Out of this total, has been given the option to relocate 54,000 migrants but has rejected the plan.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven declared the proposal during a press conference on the issue Wednesday.
“The fact that Sweden may receive up to 190,000 asylum seekers in one year for a population of less than 10 million, is a proof of the generosity and solidarity of Sweden and the Swedish population”, European Council President Donald Tusk said in a statement on Wednesday following his meeting with Lofven.
Tusk expressed understanding of Sweden’s position, saying it made sense to offer such support. Stockholm’s request to the European Union is not expected to contain any precise figures on how many migrants it wants to relocate from Sweden.
Also today, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said refugees and migrants are likely to continue to arrive in Europe at a rate of up to 5,000 per day via Turkey this winter.
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Sweden’s request came just hours after a first group of 30 refugees left Greece under the relocation scheme – a tiny fraction of the 160,000 people subject to the quota system. Sweden has a population of 9.8 million, giving the country the highest proportion of refugees per capita in the EU.
