EC President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "We Europeans should know and should never forget why giving refuge and complying with the fundamental right to asylum is so important. It is time we started putting in place the building blocks of a truly European migration policy, as we called for back in May.

The measures we are proposing today will ensure that people in clear need of international protection are relocated swiftly after arriving - not just now but also for any crisis in the future. If ever European solidarity needed to manifest itself, it is on the question of the refugee crisis. It is time to show collective courage and deliver this European response now.”

The EC has presented the following concrete measures to respond to the current refugee crisis and to prepare for future challenges:

• An emergency relocation proposal for 120,000 refugees from Greece, Hungary and Italy to other EU member states. This number will be on top of the 40,000 that the Commission proposed in May to relocate from Greece and Italy and for which the decision by the Council is still to be adopted;

• A permanent relocation mechanism for all member states which can be triggered any time by the Commission to help any EU-member state experiencing a crisis situation;

• A common European list of safe countries of origin to help those member states faced with a growing number of asylum applications by enabling a swifter processing of asylum applications;

• A common return handbook and an EU action plan on return;

• A communication on addressing the “external dimension” of the refugee crisis;

• A EUR1.8 billion trust fund for Africa to improve stability and address root causes of irregular migration flows;

• A communication on public procurement rules for refugee support measures.

Emergency Relocation for Italy, Greece and Hungary:

( VNF )