EU Refugee Quota System Begins With Relocation of Eritrean Refugees

The European Union’s refugee quota system went into effect on October 9 with the relocation of  19 Eritreans from Italy to Sweden.  The two-year plan, which aims to equally distribute refugees throughout Europe, will relocate 160,000 Eritrean, Syrian, and Iraqi refugees from Greece and Italy to other European countries. The quota system was passed by the EU Parliament on September 22 in response to an influx of over one million refugees into Europe in recent months. While many western European nations support relocation, the plan remains unpopular in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. Despite the opposition found in eastern Europe, refugees will be eligible for temporary residence and work permits in these countries if the plan is successful.

However, not all refugees favor the quota system. According to Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Migration Commissioner, “relocation is not based on where someone wants to go.” Already, some refugees have expressed hesitance at random relocation: Many have refrained from registering in Greece or Italy to avoid relocation.  This system failure has prompted sharp criticism from opponents of the quota. The Interior Minister of the Czech Republic, Milan Chovanec, tweeted, “Common sense lost today,” after quotas were voted through on September 22.  In contrast, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve still sees the quota plan as a “testament to the capacity of Europe to take responsibility and progress.” Although not every European nation supports the quota system, the European Union will continue to relocate refugees for the next two years.