News / EU

Germany urged to impose limit on refugee numbers

Sunday, 06 March 2016 7:08 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 06 March 2016 7:07 PM ]

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann (AFP photo)

Austria has called on Germany to set restrictions on the number of refugees it will allow to enter its territory in an effort to help curb the flow of refugees flocking to Europe.

"Germany too must give a number for the refugees it is prepared to take from the Syria and Turkey region. Germany must finally create clarity or else refugees will continue to head off in the direction of Germany," Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told the Kurier newspaper on Sunday.

Austria has introduced restrictions on accepting refugees. It accepts only 80 refugees per day and allows 3,200 refugees to transit the country each day. It received 90,000 asylum requests last year.

"If you take the Austrian guidelines, Germany could give its quota at around 400,000. As long as Germany does not say that, it is clear what will happen. The refugees will continue to believe that they will be waved through," Faymann added.

An exhausted child sits with her grandmother in a refugee makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian borders near the Greek village of Idomeni, on March 4 , 2016. (AFP photo)

The remarks came ahead of a crucial EU summit with Turkey on Monday over possible ways to handle Europe’s worst refugee crisis. According to Faymann, the participants will discuss about further cooperation with Ankara to fight human traffickers and returned rejected refugees and setting out a system for the EU states to accept refugees with the help of UN agencies.

Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil said earlier in the day that his country will not join the quota system over distributing refugees among European states as it has already taken in enough refugees.

"We are taking the lion's share and taking in 37,500 asylum seekers this year alone. Now the others are called upon. Why should Austria take refugees from Greece? That would send the wrong signal," Doskozil added.

Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.

Many blame support by some Western countries for militants operating in the Middle East as the main reason behind the departure of refugees from their home countries.

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