UN agency warns of people smuggling as refugee crisis plays out in Europe

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Friday warned of people smuggling as the refugee crisis played out in Europe.

The recent dramatic scenario on the Hungarian border and mayhem on the Serbian border with Croatia demonstrate the chaos and confusion resulting from the lack of a coherent and united response to Europe's refugee situation, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

"More than 440,000 refugees and migrants have arrived via the Mediterranean so far this year, with nearly 3,000 people having died," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here, adding "Some 4,000 people are arriving on the Greek islands daily."

"The Refugee Agency said that the crisis is growing and being pushed from one country to another without a solution," Dujarric said. "The suffering and risks for thousands of refugees and migrants are increasing as uncertainty and a lack of information fuels desperation, raises the likelihood of further incidents, and stokes hostility towards people who have fled persecution and conflict and are in need of help."

The UN Agency "stressed that this environment is fertile ground for people-smugglers and others seeking to prey on this vulnerable population."

Meanwhile, the UNHCR said the European Parliament's decision Thursday last week to back plans for the relocation of an additional 120,000 people to all countries of the European Union deserves applause, the spokesman said.

Recognizing that Europe is struggling to deal with this situation, it commends the countries and their citizens that have shown willingness to resettle refugees and respond positively to a situation, which, although challenging, is manageable, provided that Europe is united in contributing to an effective response.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), meeting for a plenary session in Strasbourg, voted last Thursday in favor of a resolution on a new emergency relocation proposal for an increased number of asylum seekers.

The MEPs backed a permanent plan modifying the Dublin regulations, a rule which determines which member state of the European Union (EU) is responsible for the handling of individual asylum requests.

On Tuesday last week, the parliamentarians overwhelmingly adopted an emergency relocation plan for 40,000 asylum seekers to be distributed between EU countries.

Based on proposals by the European Commission which were represented on Wednesday last week by its President Jean-Claude Juncker, Thursday's measures concerned approximately 120,000 refugees who had already arrived in Europe after having fled conflicts in their countries of origin, with a large majority coming from Syria.

Source: XINHUA