EU States May Deny Asylum to Refugees Relocated From Italy, Greece - Source

A European Union member country accepting relocated refugees from Italy and Greece under the terms of a new European Commission proposal would still be able to deny them asylum, a source in the European Commission told reporters Wednesday.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the European Commission proposed to relocate some 40,000 Syrian and Eritrean asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other EU member states as part of its agenda to tackle the migration crisis.

The asylum process will take place in the country of relocation, the source said.

If the country of relocation rejects the asylum claim, the person will then be transferred to another EU member country, but not Italy or Greece.

In the past years, the European Union has been struggling with an influx of undocumented migrants fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.

According to UN figures, a total of 60,000 migrants have tried to cross the Mediterranean in 2015, while some 1,800 have died at sea since the beginning of the year.