Why the EU still requires a fairer formula for distributing refugees

One of the key elements of the EU’s model for sharing the burden of the migration crisis is a so called ‘distribution key’ which calculates the proportion of refugees each EU state should accommodate. However, as Philip Grech writes, the precise construction of this formula has been the subject of criticism, with the inclusion of factors such as unemployment figures skewing the distribution in some cases. He states that while the distribution key has been reformed from its original configuration, there is still some way to go before it can be considered a genuinely fair way to distribute refugees.

• Primary Source

ESO: Information Guide: European Migration Challenges http://www.europeansources.info/record/information-guide-european-migration-challenges/

ESO: Background information: On the Distribution of Refugees in the EU http://www.europeansources.info/record/on-the-distribution-of-refugees-in-the-eu/

European Commission: DG Migration and Home Affairs: European Agenda on Migration: Background information: Relocation and Resettlement - State of Play, 13 July 2016 http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/background-information/docs/20160713/factsheet_relocation_and_resettlement_-_state_of_play_en.pdf

EurActiv, 06.09.16: Commission accepts that Germany sends migrants back to Greece http://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/commission-accepts-that-germany-sends-migrants-back-to-greece/

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