Netherlands would take 1,740 refugees in EU plan

The European Commission wants to distribute 40 thousand asylum seekers that are currently in Italy and Greece across the other European Union countries. The Netherlands will have to take in 1,740 of these asylum seekers. According to the Volkskrant, they Commission will present this proposal on Wednesday. The proposal is expected to be met with fierce opposition from most of the member states. By moving these 40 thousand asylum seekers to other EU countries, the Commission wants to offer Italy and Greece some relief. Of the more than 600 thousand refugees asking for asylum in the European Union, more than 170 thousand went to Italy. A total of 24 thousand asylum seekers will be taken from Italy and 16 thousand from Greece. This involves Syrians and Eritreans that fled their homeland due to violence and are almost guaranteed to receive a residency permit. The Commission came up with a formula that takes into account the size and wealth of a country, the unemployment rate and the number of asylum seekers already in the country to determine how many asylum seekers will go to which country. Based on this formula, the Netherlands has to take in 4.35 percent of the asylum seekers. Germany has to take in the most with 18.42 percent - 7,368 asylum seekers. In addition to the redistribution of the asylum seekers in Greece and Italy, the Commission also proposes that the European Union takes in 20 thousand refugees who are currently in shelters outside the EU. The Netherlands will have to take in 732 of these refugees.