62,000 migrants arrive in Italy, 63,000 in Greece

UN refugee agency UNHCR has said that over 63,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by sea this year and 62,000 in Italy. A new report released by the UNHCR during the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels revealed this on Saturday. EU leaders holding late-night talks in the Belgian capital have agreed to relocate tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived in Italy and Greece. Summit chairman Donald Tusk also said that 40,000 boat people (migrants) would be relocated to other EU states over the next two years. However, there will be no mandatory quotas for each member country. The Greek debt crisis was also on the summit's agenda. Earlier, Tusk called on EU member states to share the burden of the boat loads of illegal migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean. “Leaders agreed that 40,000 persons in need will be relocated from Greece and Italy to other states over the next two years,” Tusk told reporters. “Interior ministers will finalise the scheme by the end of July,” he added. Leaders also agreed to resettle another 20,000 refugees from outside the EU. Meanwhile, the BBC’s Damian Grammaticas in Brussels has said Hungary, which has seen thousands of migrants cross its border by land has been granted exemptions. The UK has opted out of the scheme, while nations in eastern Europe refused to accept set quotas, so it will be only voluntary. This angered Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who called the plan “modest”. Italy has sought more help from its EU partners to handle the boat loads of migrants. The migrant crisis has been high on the agenda for the EU summit, which opened at the week end.