The EU Commission has committed to taking a number of measures in response to the huge migration influx, signing the first common Migration Agenda measures this week.
Rome and Athens have appealed to the other 26 European member states for solidarity, with 30,000 refugees having arrived on Greek shores alone in 2015.
Following the loss of life in the Mediterranean last month, EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said that “refugee settlement is a shared responsibility that cannot depend solely on Greece and Italy”.
Some 40,000 additional refugees from Syria and Eritrea are expected to arrive on the shores of the two countries over the next two years.
The first part of the EU’s Agenda defines immediate measures needed to prevent human tragedy and to deal with emergencies, while the second draws up a new strategic approach to manage migration better.
For the time being the only eligible candidates covered in the agreement’s first measures relate to refugees from Syria and Eritrea, and only apply to Greece and Italy.
“Today, the Commission has shown that it can act quickly and resolutely to better manage migration,” said Mr Avramopoulos.
The Agenda proposals have encountered resistance from countries like Germany, France and Spain, which are likely to receive the most migrants under the new measures.
