German minister urges Europe to pick up refugees from crisis regions

Even in peaceful, consensus-minded Switzerland, however, the issue of asylum seekers is proving politically sensitive and the country’s biggest party, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), remains strongly opposed to any measures that might encourage more refugees, most of whom are Muslim, to come.

The United Kingdom has agreed to take 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps in neighbouring countries. Afghanistan (27 000 first time asylum applicants, or 13 per cent of the total number of first time applicants in the EU) represented the second main country of citizenship of asylum seekers in the European Union in the second quarter 2015.

“Over the past day, the Federal Police accepted over 7,266 people throughout Germany“.

According to a BBC report a group from the central European states was opposing calls for EU members to accept mandatory quotas to accommodate the refugees. More than three quarters were registered in four Member States: Germany, Hungary, Austria and Sweden.

“As it’s virtually impossible for refugees to reach Britain in order to claim asylum, it’s vital the British Government steps forward and proactively offers to help share responsibility for protecting the vulnerable men, women and children arriving on Europe’s shores”.

He also argues that quotas will only make the crisis worse if they attract more asylum seekers.

The number of refugees streaming into this country rose sharply since the Balkans route became a relatively safer alternative for the migrants to reach Europe compared to the risky journey through the Mediterranean, often in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats.

The departure comes as German Chancellor Angela Merkel has faced criticism in recent days by some in her own coalition for her handling of the crisis as the country struggles to keep up with the influx, which some in the government now say may top 1 million this year.

“We can not accept all the people who are fleeing conflict zones or poverty and want to come to Europe or Germany”, Thomas de Maiziere said in an interview with the German news weekly Spiegel.

The number of internally displaced people in Syria is larger that those in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon combined, and it’s only going up.

Under the Swiss system, five refugee centers swiftly sift through asylum applicants and send those most likely to qualify to cantons under a fixed quota while their cases are heard.

But by the end of 2015, the US will trail many European and Middle Eastern nations in admission of refugees per capita – and is on track to lag behind these nations in absolute numbers as well. “And I believe, also for safety reasons, it is understandable that we must again return to an orderly regime and mechanism”, Merkel told reporters on Tuesday, defending the border checks.