The latest news as countries across Europe cope with the arrival of thousands of migrants and refugees. All times local (CET):
10:25 a.m.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has renewed her demand for compulsory sharing of refugees among European Union countries and insisted that the migrant crisis is a challenge for every nation in the 28-member bloc.
Merkel addressed the German parliament’s annual budget debate on Wednesday just as the head of the European Union’s executive, Jean-Claude Juncker, called for the compulsory relocation among EU countries of another 120,000 refugees.
Germany has taken in more migrants than any other EU country. Merkel said: “We need a binding agreement on a binding distribution of refugees among all member states, according to fair criteria.”
Merkel said “it would be a step if we achieved what Jean-Claude Juncker is proposing today” but that the challenge is deeper than just sharing refugees.
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9:00 a.m.
The head of the European Union’s executive says 22 of the member states should be forced to accept another 120,000 people in need of international protection who have come toward the continent at high risk through Greece, Italy and Hungary.
With the new call to the European Parliament, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday that his additional plan would bring the total for emergency relocation to 160,000.
Recalling the lengthy haggling among member states over the spread of the initial 40,000, Juncker said that this time “this has to be done in a compulsory way.”
Juncker said he wants his plan endorsed by the member states at a special meeting in Brussels on Monday.