Gabriel, who is also economy minister, urged Europe to examine how it can “quickly help in an efficient way the countries of origins of these refugees”.
The ministers also agreed to implement a network of refugee camps which would be set up initially in Italy and Greece – where most refugees enter through – and later would be expanded overseas, in Middle Eastern and African countries.
The region said people were arriving faster than accommodation could be found for them, with the German railway operator asked to provide a train for refugees to sleep in. I would like to express my thanks to all DB employees and volunteers at stations throughout Germany.
Europe’s refugee crisis has taken a new dimension in Germany with the arrival of over 8,000 asylum-seekers in the southern state of Bavaria from Hungary in one single day. “We’re all human. No-one is illegal”.
About 3,700 refugees coming by train from Hungary via Austria have arrived at Munich central station by early Saturday evening, with another 3,000 still expected to come later in the night. So hundreds set off by foot, saying they would walk to the Austrian border, 170 km away,...
“We estimate that around 4,000 have arrived – and I don’t think that is the end of it”, said Helmut Marban, spokesman for the police in the Austrian province of Burgenland.
“People at Budapest’s Keleti railway station demanding to be allowed free passage are demanding something which is not possible under European legislation”, government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said.
But Giro-Szasz says that Germany has shown a more permissive stance towards illegal immigrants arriving from Syria, adding that the news has “boosted hopes” among migrants.
Things do not look quite so straightforward in Group A, where the Netherlands and France face tricky opponents in Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus and Luxembourg.
The winners of the nine European groups qualify automatically for the World Cup with the eight best runners-up facing off in two-legged playoffs for the remaining four spots.
Despite Wales’ remarkable climb in the rankings and elevation to top seed for this draw, O’Neill would not be unhappy to draw them as the top seed in Ireland’s group.