EU leaders agree to relocate 60,000 migrants

EU leaders holding late-night talks in Brussels have agreed to relocate tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived in Italy and Greece.
Summit chairman Donald Tusk said 40,000 would be relocated to other EU states over the next two years.
However, there will be no mandatory quotas for each country.

The Greek debt crisis was also on the summit’s agenda. Greece and its international creditors remain deadlocked after talks on Thursday.
Earlier, Mr Tusk called on EU member states to share the burden of the boat loads of illegal migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean.
New figures from the UN refugee agency UNHCR show that 63,000 migrants have arrived in Greece by sea this year and 62,000 in Italy.
“Leaders agreed that 40,000 persons in need will be relocated from Greece and Italy to other states over the next two years,” Mr Tusk told reporters. “Interior ministers will finalise the scheme by the end of July.”

Leaders also agreed to resettle another 20,000 refugees from outside the EU.
The BBC’s Damian Grammaticas in Brussels says Hungary, which has seen thousands of migrants cross its border by land, and Bulgaria, one of the EU’s poorest countries, have both 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”.