British Prime Minister David Cameron today defended Britain's decision not to participate in the mandatory quota system for the redistribution of refugees within the European Union. which was presented today in Brussels by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.
"If all the attention is on quotas to redistribute refugees across Europe, it won't solve the problem and sends a message to people that it's actually a good idea to get on a boat and make that dangerous journey," Cameron told MPs in parliament.
"Europe must come up with its own answers for those countries that are part of Schengen. Britain, which has its own borders, has the ability to make sovereign decisions," Cameron said.
Britain is exempt from the EU's asylum and migration policy and Cameron has already made it clear that his country will not be included in any quota system, AFP reported.
The British Prime Minister announced on Monday that Britain will take in 20.000 refugees over the next five years from refugee camps near Syria.
Members of the opposition Labor Party pointed out, however, that this did not solve the issue of the large number of migrants who had already reached the shores of Europe.
In an address to the European Parliament, Juncker detailed an emergency plan for the mandatory redistribution of around 160.000 refugees between the 28 EU member states and promised a permanent asylum mechanism to deal with future crises.
Junker previously said in a letter to the EP and member states about EC priorities that he would seek a "fair deal" in the negotiations with Britain on the continuation of its membership in the EU, but also that London must maintain key principles such as the free flow of labor.
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