Juncker: "There isn't much European spirit and union in the EU"

The European Union (EU) is not in a very good situation, according to the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, who thinks that Europe's main priority should now be tackling the refugee crisis.

The Brussels official said yesterday, in a speech before the European Parliament: "There isn't much European spirit in the EU and there isn't much union in Europe. But, we have to change things, we have to do this now, together! That is what the European citizens are asking us to do, this is what the mandate of this institution is".

Juncker warned that since the beginning of the year, almost 500,000 refugees have reached the territory of the European Union, most of them coming from Syria.

In the current context, the leader of the European Commission praised the efforts made by Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon: "These countries that are far poorer than us, are making efforts that we have to acknowledge". Juncker further said: "Since back in May, I have proposed a mechanism for the relocation of 40,000 refugees. Today, we are proposing another mandatory mechanism for the relocation of another 120,000 refugees. This time, all the countries will have to pull in the same direction. Of course, the relocation is not the only solution. That is why the Commission is proposing a common list of safe countries, to speed up the asylum granting procedure".

The president of the European Commission has warned the countries of the European Union that they have to reach an agreement by next week, through which to allocate the 160,000 refugees. Juncker has urged the foreign affairs ministers of the EU, who have a meeting scheduled for Monday, in Brussels, "to agree" on the issue.

"We are proposing a permanent relocation mechanism, so we can answer more quickly to such crises. A common policy has to include common policies for integration in the states where the refugees receive asylum. I strongly support the asylum seekers' right to work".

Juncker thinks that solutions have to be found, and in the current situation "a European diplomacy is needed, a true offensive of diplomacy for resolving the conflicts".