Tusk threatens extra summit on refugees

 By Vince Chadwick

Four central European countries are questioning quota system.

European Council President Donald Tusk warned Friday he would call a special EU summit this month if there is no progress on Europe’s refugee crisis at a meeting of interior and justice ministers next Monday.
“Without concrete sign of solidarity and unity from JHA ministers Monday, I will call extra #EUCO in September on refugee crisis,” Tusk tweeted.

He added, however, that contacts with European states in recent days had left him “more hopeful today that we are closer to solution based on consensus & genuine solidarity.”
Foreign ministers from the four central European countries that have questioned the EU’s quota system for relocating refugees were meeting their counterparts from Germany and Luxembourg (the current EU presidency holder) in Prague Friday.
The EU ministers’ meeting in Brussels Monday will consider a new proposal from the European Commission for the emergency relocation of 120,000 refugees currently in Italy, Greece and Hungary. That is on top of an agreement to relocate 40,000 asylum-seekers approved by EU leaders in June — a plan that some EU countries have resisted carrying out.
The “concrete sign” that Tusk will be looking for Monday, EU officials say, will be a political agreement among all the countries to accept the additional 120,000 refugees.
Such an agreement would still have to be finalized at another meeting of interior ministers on October 8-9. If Tusk decides not to call a special summit, the next meeting of EU heads of state and government is scheduled for October 15-16.