BRUSSELS (AP) - The Latest on Europe’s response to the inflow of asylum-seekers and migrants to the continent (all times local):
10:00 p.m.
Austria’s defense minister is urging European Union nations to make new plans for stemming the inflow of migrants, saying he does not expect a deal with Turkey meant to solve the problem to hold.
Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil spoke to reporters Monday after meeting with his counterparts from Croatia, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Turkey has agreed to take back migrants who land in Greece in exchange for 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) and other EU commitments.
But Doskozil says all the ministers see a need “to prepare for what happens on the day after the deal between Europe and Turkey fails.”
He also criticized Turkey’s push to stifle dissent following a coup attempt, saying “red lines have been crossed multiple times.”
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3:50 p.m.
A top European Union official says refugees cannot pick and choose where to be lodged in Europe and that they have a responsibility to go where space is available.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday that “it’s outrageous” and “not acceptable for refugees in Greece and Italy to refuse to take the plane for destinations other than Germany.”
Juncker said some EU governments are willing to accept refugees from overwhelmed Greece and Italy, “but there are very few refugees who agree to be relocated.”
The EU launched a relocation plan in September 2015 to redistribute among its members 160,000 refugees from the countries most impacted by the arrival of large numbers of refugees. More than a year later, only about 7,000 people have been moved.
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