Germany seeks EU 'coalition of willing' on refugees

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany has renewed its call for building a “coalition of the willing” among EU member states to take in refugees and migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea, ahead of informal talks on Monday in Paris.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged a quick and pragmatic solution to the problem, stressing that at least 426 people have died so far this year while trying the cross the central Mediterranean.

“We are now in urgent need of a stable mechanism, which would regulate the disembarkation and distribution of people rescued at sea,” he said.

“Germany has already declared its readiness to make a substantial contribution. We are ready to make headway with other states as partners in a coalition of the willing,” he added.

The EU’s 28 members are deeply divided on migration and asylum policies, and many member states oppose taking in migrants and refugees from Italy, where authorities are overwhelmed by the inflow of people.

The Italian government has long criticized its EU partners for their reluctance to embrace burden-sharing, and in recent months it delayed or denied port entry to several rescue ships.

Foreign ministers and interior ministers from around 15 EU member states are participating in Monday’s informal talks hosted by France.