France and Germany raised concerns on Monday over a European Commission plan to redistribute migrants reaching Italy and Greece, saying it must take better account of efforts they have already taken to help asylum-seekers. The European Commission proposed last week to ease pressure on Italy and Greece, which are struggling to deal with thousands of immigrants crossing the Mediterranean in flimsy boats from Libya, through an emergency scheme to redistribute 40,000 Syrian and Eritrean asylum-seekers throughout the European Union. Under the plan, Germany and France, two of the EU's biggest states, would together take nearly 40 percent of the 40,000 migrants. The interior ministers of France and Germany said they were ready to study the Commission's proposal, based on a fair proposal for sharing out the migrants. "This distribution (mechanism) must above all take better account of the efforts already made by member states on international protection," they said, presenting a joint Franco-German position. The statement, together with concerns expressed by Spain and eastern European states, suggest the EU faces a tough fight agreeing how to share out the 40,000 migrants. The statement highlighted the efforts France and Germany are already making, pointing out that nearly three-quarters of asylum applications in the EU are made in five member states - Germany, France, Sweden, Italy and Hungary. Ministers Bernard Cazeneuve and Thomas de Maiziere said the EU's emergency mechanism "must be founded on two equally important principles: responsibility and solidarity. We believe that the balance between these two principles has not yet been reached in the proposal presented by the Commission."
