ISE-SHIMA (Japan), (Sputnik) – Earlier this week, First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans announced that the European Union would spend over 10 billion euros ($11 billion) in 2015-2016 to solve the current migrant crisis.
"The G7 recognizes the ongoing large scale movements of migrants and refugees as a global challenge which requires a global response. We commit to increase global assistance to meet immediate and long-term needs of refugees and other displaced persons as well as their host communities. The G7 encourages international financial institutions and bilateral donors to bolster their financial and technical assistance," the G7 leaders said in a joint Friday declaration.
A massive refugee crisis is currently raging in Europe, with hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants fleeing their crisis-torn countries of origin in the Middle East and Africa to escape violence and poverty. More than 1.8 million of them arrived in the European Union in 2015, according to the EU border agency Frontex.
In September 2015, the European Commission announced a quota scheme, providing for the resettlement of 160,000 refugees currently located in Greece, Italy and Hungary, throughout other European member states over the next two years.
