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| Refugee crisis: EU ministers to discuss binding quotas - live updates | Refugee crisis: EU ministers to discuss binding quotas - live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 9.58am BST09:58 | |
| Hungary deploys military vehicles | |
| Military vehicles have been seen heading for Hungary’s borders a day after it gave the army the power to use non-lethal force on migrants. | |
| Three Hungarian military Humvees with gun mounts headed to main crossing for refugees from Croatia @Channel4News pic.twitter.com/tJZ3eoXBsG | |
| Just crossed Croatia border into Hungary near Beremen and this is what greeted us! @Channel4News pic.twitter.com/JmdjjroJiG | |
| Updated at 10.05am BST | |
| 9.56am BST09:56 | |
| Croatia’s prime minister Zoran Milanovic has joined Hungary in accusing Greece of failing to control its borders. | |
| Milanovic’s criticism of Greece is one of the only points of agreement between Croatia and Hungary which have been bickering over the crisis since Hungary decided to build a fence between the two countries. | |
| On Monday’s Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto urged Greece to stop treating Europeans as “idiots” and start taking “meaningful steps to protect its border and register migrants.” | |
| But he also described Croatia’s response as “pathetic”. | |
| Milanovic said he was “proud” of Croatia’s response, according to a English translation of a TV interview released by the Croatian government. He insisted Croatia had proved itself as a modern, civilised, humane and well-organised country. | |
| 9.38am BST09:38 | 9.38am BST09:38 |
| Patrick Kingsley | Patrick Kingsley |
| 9.11am BST09:11 | 9.11am BST09:11 |
| Scuffles have broken out between Croatian police and asylum-seekers after they were barred from entering a newly opened reception centre, AP reports. | Scuffles have broken out between Croatian police and asylum-seekers after they were barred from entering a newly opened reception centre, AP reports. |
| Troubles started at the camp Tuesday, when more migrants came to the gates than authorities could handle. Police in the Croatian village of Opatovac pushed people back from the front gate, asked them to sit down and to wait their turn. | Troubles started at the camp Tuesday, when more migrants came to the gates than authorities could handle. Police in the Croatian village of Opatovac pushed people back from the front gate, asked them to sit down and to wait their turn. |
| Croatia set up a migrant reception operation to try to bring order to the unrelenting chaos that has gripped since last Tuesday when Hungary sealed its border with Serbia. | Croatia set up a migrant reception operation to try to bring order to the unrelenting chaos that has gripped since last Tuesday when Hungary sealed its border with Serbia. |
| Earlier the Croatia government confirmed that a large crowd of people had gather in Opatovac. | Earlier the Croatia government confirmed that a large crowd of people had gather in Opatovac. |
| A bigger crowd of #refugees gathered on the entrance to Opatovac tent settlement this morning. #refugeecrisis pic.twitter.com/WOWJiIKkkl | A bigger crowd of #refugees gathered on the entrance to Opatovac tent settlement this morning. #refugeecrisis pic.twitter.com/WOWJiIKkkl |
| Riot police were deployed to the area on Monday. | Riot police were deployed to the area on Monday. |
| Riot police move at Opatovac transit camp in Croatia - migrants are restless, some want to walk out of camp pic.twitter.com/rAxjw9BTpd | Riot police move at Opatovac transit camp in Croatia - migrants are restless, some want to walk out of camp pic.twitter.com/rAxjw9BTpd |
| 9.03am BST09:03 | 9.03am BST09:03 |
| Campaigners have urged European leaders to stop building more barriers and quibbling over quotas and instead come up with a coordinated response that offers refugees proper protection. | Campaigners have urged European leaders to stop building more barriers and quibbling over quotas and instead come up with a coordinated response that offers refugees proper protection. |
| Amnesty International and the UN’s refugee agency have both said this week’s EU meetings are critical. | Amnesty International and the UN’s refugee agency have both said this week’s EU meetings are critical. |
| Amnesty’s Europe director , John Dalhuisen, warned that humanity was being eroded in the chaotic response offered so far. He said: | Amnesty’s Europe director , John Dalhuisen, warned that humanity was being eroded in the chaotic response offered so far. He said: |
| “Failure is not an option. EU leaders must reach agreement on an organized and compassionate response to the arrivals of refugees and asylum seekers to Europe. Some solutions are on the table, what is missing is the political will and leadership to see them through. EU leaders have to show leadership and face the crisis head on; not build more barriers and carry on quibbling over quotas.” | “Failure is not an option. EU leaders must reach agreement on an organized and compassionate response to the arrivals of refugees and asylum seekers to Europe. Some solutions are on the table, what is missing is the political will and leadership to see them through. EU leaders have to show leadership and face the crisis head on; not build more barriers and carry on quibbling over quotas.” |
| “In the absence of an agreed collective response we have witnessed thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers being pushed from pillar to post, without even their basic needs being met. This isn’t migration management; it’s an erosion of humanity.” | “In the absence of an agreed collective response we have witnessed thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers being pushed from pillar to post, without even their basic needs being met. This isn’t migration management; it’s an erosion of humanity.” |
| The UNHCR echoed this message. | The UNHCR echoed this message. |
| Critical to reach common solution for Europe & #refugees - Fate of 1000s incl. these in SE Croatia this AM at stake pic.twitter.com/IEfyeVmGIT | Critical to reach common solution for Europe & #refugees - Fate of 1000s incl. these in SE Croatia this AM at stake pic.twitter.com/IEfyeVmGIT |
| Peter Sutherland, the UN Secretary General’s special representative for migration, suggested that member states should be threatened with expulsion if they failed to agree to binding quotas. | Peter Sutherland, the UN Secretary General’s special representative for migration, suggested that member states should be threatened with expulsion if they failed to agree to binding quotas. |
| The first thing the EU should do now is to help the front line States Lebanon turkey and Jordan by accepting resettlement of refugees. | The first thing the EU should do now is to help the front line States Lebanon turkey and Jordan by accepting resettlement of refugees. |
| The second thing is all the MS should be reminded strongly that membership of the EU requires common values and internal solidarity | The second thing is all the MS should be reminded strongly that membership of the EU requires common values and internal solidarity |
| Common values require that asylum be given to refugees rather than meeting them with barbed wire and teargas | Common values require that asylum be given to refugees rather than meeting them with barbed wire and teargas |
| 8.40am BST08:40 | 8.40am BST08:40 |
| Germany’s vice chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, has been high-fiving refugees on a visit to Jordon’s Zaatari camp. | Germany’s vice chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, has been high-fiving refugees on a visit to Jordon’s Zaatari camp. |
| "Give me Five": #Gabriel mit Flüchtlingskind im UN-Lager Zaatari #dpaReporter @dpa pic.twitter.com/gYtanrW1ft | "Give me Five": #Gabriel mit Flüchtlingskind im UN-Lager Zaatari #dpaReporter @dpa pic.twitter.com/gYtanrW1ft |
| 8.28am BST08:28 | 8.28am BST08:28 |
| A binding quota system for resettling refugees across Europe could be forced through under a qualified majority vote, according to one of the architects of the plan. | A binding quota system for resettling refugees across Europe could be forced through under a qualified majority vote, according to one of the architects of the plan. |
| Labour MEP Claude Moraes, chair of a committee which pushed the idea of through European parliament last week, said today’s meeting of EU interior ministers “should signal the beginning of the end of paralysis.” | Labour MEP Claude Moraes, chair of a committee which pushed the idea of through European parliament last week, said today’s meeting of EU interior ministers “should signal the beginning of the end of paralysis.” |
| Speaking on BBC’s Radio 4’s Today programme he said countries resisting the idea could be forced to accept some refugees or face financial penalties. | Speaking on BBC’s Radio 4’s Today programme he said countries resisting the idea could be forced to accept some refugees or face financial penalties. |
| He said it was “appalling” that EU ministers failed to agree on the idea earlier this month. | He said it was “appalling” that EU ministers failed to agree on the idea earlier this month. |
| He added: “The EU is not signalling an organised and compassionate response, so if qualified majority voting has to happen today then it will happen. But I think those countries who are blocking any sort of progress ... they will take some symbolic numbers or they will take some sort of financial penalty. If they don’t do that we are going to have chaotic scenes [and] ... no organised and compassionate response at all.” | He added: “The EU is not signalling an organised and compassionate response, so if qualified majority voting has to happen today then it will happen. But I think those countries who are blocking any sort of progress ... they will take some symbolic numbers or they will take some sort of financial penalty. If they don’t do that we are going to have chaotic scenes [and] ... no organised and compassionate response at all.” |
| Moraes said the number of 120,000 refugees being resettled under the plan was already out of date, as thousands more migrants and refugees arrive in Europe. | Moraes said the number of 120,000 refugees being resettled under the plan was already out of date, as thousands more migrants and refugees arrive in Europe. |
| He said: “We have to begin the relocation process because if you don’t get people out of these areas, like the Hungarian Serbian border, out of Croatia, what is happening then is that people just receive panic [and] you have the humanitarian problems of course ... | He said: “We have to begin the relocation process because if you don’t get people out of these areas, like the Hungarian Serbian border, out of Croatia, what is happening then is that people just receive panic [and] you have the humanitarian problems of course ... |
| “It can be done, but at the moment with lots of countries blocking even that initial progress we won’t have it. Today should signal the beginning of the end of paralysis. But it has been a painful slow process to get to this.” | “It can be done, but at the moment with lots of countries blocking even that initial progress we won’t have it. Today should signal the beginning of the end of paralysis. But it has been a painful slow process to get to this.” |
| Updated at 8.29am BST | Updated at 8.29am BST |
| 7.54am BST07:54 | 7.54am BST07:54 |
| Summary | Summary |
| Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the refugee crisis as EU interior ministers are due to hold talks about binding refugee quotas in the face of resistance to the idea from central European states. | Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the refugee crisis as EU interior ministers are due to hold talks about binding refugee quotas in the face of resistance to the idea from central European states. |
| Here’s a summary of the latest developments: | Here’s a summary of the latest developments: |