European countries have accepted less than 10% of the 160,000 refugees they promised to move to safety from unsanitary and cramped camps in Italy and Greece, leading the European commission to warn it will “accept no more excuses”. Only 13,546 relocations have been carried out so far – 3,936 from Italy and 9,610 from Greece – amounting to just 8% of the total the EU committed to relocate in 2015.

Just two member states, Malta and Finland, have met their resettling obligations under the relocation scheme that will close in September.

During a press conference in Brussels, the commissioner for migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, warned that infringement proceedings against member states, including huge daily fines, could soon be levied. He added that the obligations on countries to take people in would continue beyond the close of the scheme in September, describing it as akin to an “outstanding bill”.(The guardian)…[+]