Sweden to ask EU relocate some of its migrants
(STOCKHOLM) - Sweden, struggling with a huge influx of migrants, was to ask Brussels to relocate to other EU countries some of the asylum seekers it has taken in, the premier said Wednesday.
"Sweden has taken a disproportionately large responsibility in comparison with other countries in the EU, and now we are extremely strained," Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in a written statement.
"It is time that other countries take responsibility and that is why the government requires redistribution of refugees from Sweden."
In September, the EU unveiled a plan for redistributing nearly 160,000 migrants and refugees from frontline states Italy and Greece although so far only a small number have been relocated.
The plan was also to have seen 54,000 migrants and refugees relocated from Hungary.
But several eastern European states, including Hungary, rejected the compulsory quota plan out of hand -- with Sweden now keen to take advantage of the offer made to Budapest for relocating some of its own asylum seekers.
"We reached a point where we cannot receive people in the way that we want to do and the way we were used to," Lofven later told a news conference in Stockholm with European Council President Donald Tusk.
- 'Sweden deserves support' -
Tusk expressed understanding of Sweden's position, saying it made sense to offer such support.
"Sweden is the most affected country in Europe when it comes to refugees and asylum seekers per capita," he said.
"Because we have this reserve, because of the Hungarian decision, I'm absolutely sure that Sweden deserves this support from our side," he said.
Stockholm's request to the EU was not expected to contain any precise figures on how many migrants it wants relocated from Sweden, a favourite destination for migrants.
"You know that the main destination... for almost all of them, is Germany today and Sweden," he said.
"Today the most difficult question is: how can you convince them that Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, France, Spain is as good as Germany and Sweden?" Tusk said.
Sweden's request came just hours after a first group of 30 refugees left Greece under the relocation scheme -- a tiny fraction of the 160,000 people subject to the quota system.
Sweden was the first country to welcome relocated migrants with 19 Eritreans arriving from Italy on October 9.
The Swedish Migration Agency has said the country has been receiving so many migrants and refugees -- at a rate of 10,000 a week -- that its capacities are under strain and it is having to erect tents to house some of the arrivals.
Sweden, a country of 9.8 million, is expecting to receive up to 190,000 asylum seekers this year -- putting it among the EU states with the highest proportion of refugees per capita as the continent struggles with its biggest migrant crisis since World War II.