Refugee crisis: David Cameron offers an extra £115m aid

In addition, the two leaders “discussed how a big part of the answer to the refugee crisis must be a solution to the situation in Syria“, a spokesman for Cameron’s office said.

Arriving late to the estate, Mr Hollande apologised to the Prime Minister, who told him “no worries” as the pair shook hands on the front steps in front of members of the press.

Before the summit in Brussels, David Cameron committed an extra £115 million to tackle the emergency, which the Prime Minister announced as he arrived at the summit.

“We must make sure that people in refugee camps are properly fed and looked after, not least to help them but also to stop people wanting to make or thinking of making this very, very hard and very unsafe journey to Europe“, explained the Prime Minister.

The European Union’s 28 interior and justice ministers are to meet in emergency session in Brussels today to try to decide where migrants in Greece, Italy and Hungary can be moved to.

Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic all voted against the quota plan with Slovakia threatening legal action.

But the talks could be dominated by rows over the refugee resettlement scheme.

A crush of refugees have flooded Turkey; many of them have attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Greece and to trek north into eastern and western Europe.

UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said: “This may be the last opportunity for a coherent European response to manage a crisis that is increasing suffering and exploitation of refugees and migrants and tension between countries”.

Mr Tusk warned the numbers of refugees trying to reach Europe from the Middle East could reach millions as the turmoil in the region continued.

Britain – which is not required to participate because it is not part of the “borderless” Schengen area – has exercised its right to opt out.

But some of the European countries that previously opposed the quota plan have said they are prepared to work with system.

Ms Fleming said it is “essential” that the 120,000 additional places are approved this week for any relocation programme to be considered “credible” but claimed that any scheme can not be effectively implemented without the creation of “adequate reception facilities” in countries where refugees and migrants enter Europe.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker is presenting leaders with a number of measures to be taken. While Syrians have been desperate for a political change in the U.S.’s hands-off foreign policy, a more complex proposition, the refugee crisis can be much simpler to address in the short-term.