Juncker calls for solidarity to deal with migration challenge

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called for solidarity among European Union (EU) member states in dealing with the ongoing migration crisis in an article published Monday.

In the article titled "A call for collective courage" on New Europe, a newspaper based in Brussels, Juncker expressed worry about the rising anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe, saying "What worries me is to see the resentment, the rejection, the fear directed against these people by some parts of the population."

He also warned against politicians nourishing a populism "that brings only anger and not solutions."

Migration is the most pressing concern for Europeans, according to a local media's research.

The number of migrants and asylum seekers who have arrived in Europe by sea in August was approaching a quarter of a million, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in its latest analysis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the migrant crisis could become a bigger challenge for the EU than the Greek economy last Sunday when she condemned the attacks on refugee shelters in Germany.

Juncker wrote "There is no simple, nor single, answer to the challenges posed by migration. No EU member state can effectively address migration alone. We need a strong, European approach."

Juncker said the EU has to show solidarity in migration policy, adding that the measures proposed by the European Commission urgently need to be taken up by all 28 member states.

In July, EU ministers failed to agree on a plan to relocate 40,000 refugees from Italy and Greece.

Even though some nations remained reluctant to do so, Juncker insistently called for establishing a permanent migrant relocation mechanism, which could be automatically triggered in emergency situations.

"What we need is to ensure that all EU member states adopt the European measures now and implement them on the ground," he stressed.

Europe is struggling to deal with the high influxes of people seeking refuge in its borders.

Some 4,400 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coasts on Saturday, one of the biggest operation carried out so far under the EU Triton rescue mission in the Mediterranean Sea, according to local media.

So far this year, more than 2,300 people have died in the attempt to reach Europe by boat, according to the IOM.