The European Union will seek to shift the migration burden away from Italy and Greece by relocating 40,000 asylum seekers to other EU countries, according to a draft document.
The relocation proposal, to be unveiled by the EU's executive Commission tomorrow which had been seen by The Associated Press, would see new Syrian and Eritrean asylum seekers shared among 23 of the 28 member countries over the next two years. Britain, Denmark and Ireland will not take part.
The move comes as the number of desperate migrants crossing the Mediterranean to get to Europe continues to rise, with more than 80,000 landing so far this year. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 1,820 other migrants have died or gone missing on that journey.
