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11/22/2024 07:37:36 am

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Europe Prepares to Accommodate 100,000 Incoming Syrian Refugees

Syrian Refugees Europe

(Photo : REUTERS/Stringer) European leaders have agreed to accommodate more Syrian refuges.

European leaders, who gathered in Brussels on Monday, have agreed to make room to accomodate up to 100,000 incoming refugees from Syria. However, only half that number of refugees will be taken in this year.

The BBC reported that the agreement binds both European Union (EU) members and three non-members. The number of Syrian refugees pouring into Europe continues to increase. The Greek government reported that almost 10,000 refugees land on its shores every day.

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The agreement also obliges the Greeks to take care of 30,000 refugees before the end of 2015. The United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will take care of 20,000 of them.

Countries in the Balkans will set up refugee centers that can accommodate up to 50,000 people. Expert say many Syrians travel to this area before settling in countries in Northern Europe such as Germany.

Part of the agreement will also help authorities in Slovenia cope with the increasing number of refugees coming into the country. EU members promised to send 400 police officers to help handle the Syrians in that country.

European leaders have agreed not to permit refugees to cross into other EU member countries without first telling the nation concerned.

Details regarding the number of Syrian refugees that each country is accommodating must be shared to all parties in the agreement.

Before the meeting started, several European leaders, including Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, voiced doubts about the viability of the plan. He said that Greece and Turkey must do their part to limit the number of refugees crossing their border in order for any agreement to work.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing increasing opposition from her constituents regarding her policy of taking in huge numbers of Syrian refugees. A majority of the German people believe that helping the refugees is the right thing to do. But the sheer number of them settling in the country is making some Germans uncomfortable.

At least a million Syrians will stay in Germany by the end of 2015, but some observers believe that the numbers will be much higher. Some German politicians are questioning Merkel's decision to accommodate more refugees. They believe that the refugee problem must be shared by every European country.

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