Commenting on the European Commission’s  announcement today of its priorities for dealing with the refugee crisis in 2016, Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, said   

“Europe needs to show humanity, solidarity and responsibility to the refugees. They are risking their lives to escape war and poverty. The Commission seem more concerned not to criticize the member states, however badly they are behaving, instead of proposing effective solutions to an emergency which will grow during 2016.”

“There is no acknowledgement of the need to provide for the many more refugees who are waiting to come to Europe, and who will arrive sooner or later.”  

“It is no use simply implementing a relocation plan that covers only 1 in 10 of every refugee without expanding it to the rest who are already here or who will arrive in the future.”  

 “The Commissioners’ response  to member states that have closed their borders is that they will strengthen external frontiers and send back 'illegal migrants'. That is disappointingly weak from people who should be defending the Schengen system.”