European Commission May Sue 18 EU States for Asylum Rules Violations

EC has opened 32 investigations against 18 EU member states for alleged violations of asylum laws.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The European Commission has opened 32 investigations against 18 of the 28 EU member states for alleged violations of European laws on asylum, Brussels-based online newspaper EUobserver reported Tuesday.

Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden are among EU members that have allegedly violated a number of EU-level asylum rules, the newspaper reported.

The European Commission may submit an appeal against particular countries of the bloc to the EU court if the inquiry proves allegations.

On Monday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker condemned European governments' speculations on measures to tackle record numbers of migrants fleeing conflicts and poverty in their home countries, and called on the European Union to jointly resolve migrant crisis.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Italy and Greece have already received about 103,000 and 150,000 refugees respectively this year.

According to Frontex, the EU external border protection agency, the overall number of refugees detected at EU borders between January and July 2015 stands at 340,000. According to the agency’s data, the amount of migrants has almost tripled compared to the same period in 2014.