Netherlands to take in 4.35% of refugees to Europe

The European Commission is proposing a quota system aimed at dispersing refugees across the continent. The proposed quota would force the Netherlands to take 4.35 percent of asylum seekers entering European countries, reports broadcaster NOS. "We have to show more solidarity," EC president Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday. "We will put in place a system of quotas that makes it easier to allocate refugees who ask for, and are entitled to, asylum." Frans Timmermans, the EC vice president and former Dutch foreign minister, commented that Europe will not have its doors open to all comers. "It is time for us to apply the existing rules properly," he said emphasizing that many asylum seekers do not qualify to stay. The measure comes in response to the turmoil in the north of Africa and the Middle East that dramatically increased the level of migration to Europe. The largest numbers of refugees currently go to Germany, Sweden, France, Italy and the UK. Asylum claims filed in the Netherlands are already up 75 percent this year. European countries took a mixed position on the attempt to redistribute asylum-seekers around the continent, writes Bloomberg. While southern European countries favor the idea in expectation of relief from the refugee influx, eastern European countries, less accustomed to migration, are cautious about the plan. The United Kingdom is completely opposed to the EC proposal, saying it already struggles with immigration reform. The British public is expected to vote on a referendum within the next two years to voice their opinion about staying a part of the European Union. Newly re-elected UK Prime MInister David Cameron is opposed to further integration with Europe.