EU seeks emergency powers to make its states share asylum seekers

EU states that have until now accepted few asylum seekers will have to shoulder a heavier burden under a new mandatory system Brussels is proposing to address the surge of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from north Africa.

But the proposal, unveiled on Wednesday by the European Commission, faces stiff opposition from the UK, which has threatened to reject it. That has put Britain it on a collision course with several member states, led by Germany, that have accepted large numbers of refugees and are clamouring for relief.

At the heart of the proposal is an emergency distribution plan that would be triggered whenever a country faces a "mass influx" of people, such as that now bearing down on Italy, which is expected to receive more than 200,000 migrants via the Mediterranean this year.

Asylum seekers will be spread among EU member states via a quota system based on population, GDP, unemployment and the number of asylum claims, as Brussels bids to fix a system that results in huge discrepancies between countries. Last year, Germany gave 40,560 people asylum, while Portugal accepted just 40.

London has vowed to oppose the proposals - the only large country to do so. The UK, along with Ireland and Denmark, has the right to opt out of the EU's justice and home affairs policies and has said it will do so unless the measures are watered down. Ireland is likely to sign up to the scheme, according to one person familiar with the discussions.

Theresa May, UK home secretary, reiterated British opposition to the moves in a column in The Times on Wednesday: "We must - and will - resist calls for the mandatory relocation or resettlement of migrants across Europe."

Victory in last week's general election has given David Cameron's government what it believes is a renewed mandate to renegotiate the UK's relationship with the EU.

Britain's stance on asylum is unlike to win it any friends in Berlin, which receives more refugees than any other country and has repeatedly called for a fairer burden sharing within the EU.

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Steffen Seibert, spokesman for Angela Merkel, said: "We and our European partners are fundamentally convinced that we must act urgently with regard to the dramatic refugee developments in the Mediterranean."

While he declined to comment directly on Britain's proposed opt-out, the UK position will irritate politicians in Germany, which received 200,000 asylum applications last year - a third of the EU's total figure.

Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the Bundestag's foreign affairs committee, said: "It is a question of EU-wide fairness, since it is a matter that affects Europe as a whole. In this sense, the participation of all member states in the plan is necessary."

Objections from the UK were unwelcome but expected, according to officials in Brussels. "It is logical and to be expected that they would use their opt-out for further measures," said one diplomat.

While Britain opts out of most EU migration rules, the UK does participate in the bloc's asylum system, which states that arrivals must claim asylum in the first EU country in which they arrive. This has enabled Britain to send thousands of potential refugees back to other EU member states.

The commission also introduced a resettlement program of 20,000 refugees from camps outside the EU, who will be distributed among EU member states over the next two years. This will receive funding of €50m from the EU.

Announcing the plan, Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the commission, said: "This is a toolbox designed to respond to the immediate challenge, but is also a blueprint to deal with any future emergencies."

Meanwhile, military options to stem the flow of people attempting the dangerous crossing from Libya to Italy are set to be proposed on Monday.

Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, spent the first half of this week at the UN in New York, seeking a resolution authorising force from the Security Council.

But in a press conference on Wednesday, Ms Mogherini ruled out putting boots on the ground in Libya.

A consensus has emerged among EU ministers to next week establish a military mission to hit networks of human traffickers working in Libya. It would formally prepare for operations to be launched if a UN mandate is secured.

The mission would have three main phases, outlined in a planning document seen by the Financial times. This includes in the final phase the use of force to destroy boats in Libyan waters.

While the planning is to be approved, there remain serious doubts about the effectiveness and feasibility of such an operation, according to senior diplomats.

Any action would, in moths to come, require further approval from foreign ministers as well as a UN Security Council resolution.

Some EU diplomats are optimistic of overcoming resistance within the security council. Russia in particular has made clear it is against explicit strikes against boats in harbours but is open to actions to tackle traffickers through arrest and interdiction.

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