Refugees

EU leaders on Thursday agreed to relieve Italy and Greece of 40,000 people that landed on the two countries’ territory over recent months, people alternately described as asylum-seekers, refugees, migrants, irregular migrants, immigrants, illegals etc.

European Council President Donald Tusk noted on Thursday the lack of consensus between the EU member states on the proposed introduction of mandatory quotas for migrants.

Tusk announced this ahead of the European Council summit, which is taking place on Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an has once again criticized western countries for their response to the global refugee crisis, describing it as a ?crime against humanity.?

?We now have over two million refugees; we could not have left them under the bombs,? Erdo?an said June 21 at a meeting in Istanbul. 

Hollywood actress and director Angelina Jolie on June 20 described a spiralling global refugee crisis as an "explosion of human suffering" whose causes the international community refuses to confront.

Over one quarter of the 185,000 people who applied for asylum in the EU in the first quarter of the year are citizens of Kosovo, according to Eurostat.

This makes them the most numerous category among asylum-seekers, the EU's statistical office said on Thursday.

The U.N.?s refugee chief on June 18 urged the international community, including Western states, to open up their borders and follow Turkey?s example in hosting Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

Thousands of Syrians are fleeing their country as many different groups fight with each other to gain a sphere of influence. The Syrian refugee crisis has becoming more and more severe, especially for those who have needed to run from their own country.

The European Commission is urging EU governments to send back migrants who cannot claim asylum, taking a tougher line to convince reluctant countries to receive new refugees fleeing Syria and Eritrea.

Migrants fleeing Syria and Afghanistan have turned the Aegean Island of Kos into a ?disgusting hellhole,? according to Britain?s Daily Mail online edition.

Known for cheap package deals, Kos has witnessed an influx of migrants reaching its shores from Turkey this year.

The European Commission on Wednesday announced plans to relocate 40,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece across Europe, in a move aimed at defusing pressure on these two southern European countries.

Romania has been told to accept 1,704 people, Croatia 748 and Bulgaria 572.