WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates the massive flow of refugees from Syria to the bloc to continue, with up to 12 million people displaced in the conflict-torn region, according to a report published Wednesday.
"The large flow of asylum seekers may persist for some time. There are an estimated 8 million displaced people inside Syria, an additional 4 million Syrians in neighboring countries… Moreover, flows from other parts of Africa are intensifying," the IMF report warned.
Europe is struggling to find a solution to its massive refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa. The EU border agency Frontex detected over 1.55 million illegal border crossings in 2015.
The European Union received almost one million asylum requests in 2015, twice the amount lodged in 2014, with Germany, Hungary and Sweden among the top destinations, according to the IMF.
