Netherlands: EU states must also take more refugees

The Netherlands is willing to take in more refugees, but only if other European Union Member States do so too.

This is according to the Cabinet's official response to the European Commission's plan to distribute refugees across all member states, RTL reports. The government seems to be depending its decision on adequate support.

According to the European Commission's plan, the  Netherlands would have to take in 4.35 percent of 40 thousand asylum seekers currently staying in Greece and Italy. This percentage has increased to 5.12.  The number of refugees each country must take in is partly based on the country's unemployment rate and economic situation.

Several EU Member States are very much against this plan. Germany and France have posted comments on the proposal, which states that they will have to take about 40 percent of the asylum seekers. Some Eastern European countries, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia are also against the plan.

On Thursday the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament, will have a debate on the plan with State Secretary Klaas Dijkhoff of Security and Justice.