Refugee family guard of police at the railway station in the town of Bicske, Hungary. The composition headed for the border with Austria. (Laszlo Balogh / Reuters)
The United Nations (UN) said on Friday that all countries of the European Union (EU) should have a "must-attend" in the refugee relocation program in the continent. "Solidarity can not be the responsibility only of a few members of the EU," said the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), António Guterres.
The UN estimated that relocation needs for refugees who are coming to Europe rose to 200,000. "A very preliminary estimate indicates that potentially will be necessary to increase the relocation of jobs to 200,000," said António Guterres.
The UN's call for greater participation of the EU in receiving refugees monitors the position announced by Germany and France on Thursday. The two countries are finalizing a proposal to be presented in the coming days to establish a system of mandatory quotas for the members of the bloc. That way, everyone would agree to receive a share of refugees.
Europe is experiencing its most severe migratory crisis since World War II. Only in 2015, more than 350,000 immigrants and refugees have arrived on the continent. The nations most affected by the crisis are Hungary, Italy and Greece, which act as the EU's input ports, and Germany, Austria and Sweden, the main destination countries for refugees.
Hungary - Meanwhile, thousands of Syrian refugees following the Keleti station, Budapest, Hungary, awaiting the go ahead to embark on trains that take them to Germany. The Hungarian government blames Berlin for the massive influx of asylum seekers and says the crisis is a "German problem", rather than a European, rejecting criticism of the barbed wire fence erected along its border with Serbia.
The flow of refugees has strained the EU asylum system, which reached the breaking point, sowing division among the 28 member countries and fueling nationalist populism. The picture of Syrian boylying dead on a beach in Turkey, however, shocked the world and forced European leaders to try to find a solution.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, criticized for its lack of involvement in the crisis, was "deeply moved" by the tragedy and is expected to announce the receipt of "thousands" of Syrian refugees in Britain. The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has also told European countries to "redouble their solidarity efforts."
