Explainer: why some European countries do more than others to help refugees

Not since World War II has Europe faced a refugee crisis comparable with the situation unfolding at its borders at the moment. The European response has been, to put it mildly, ambivalent. On one hand there has been a mass outpouring of sympathy in the media and in public debate for the refugees fleeing nightmarish situations in Syria and Iraq. On the other, elected governments have not come up with solutions that seem remotely equal to the task. The circumstances are extreme but the pattern is nothing new. The EU has struggled to get member states on board for a system of burden sharing.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Can Europe cope with refugees? http://www.europeansources.info/record/can-europe-cope-with-refugees/

ESO: Background information: New EU proposal to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers http://www.europeansources.info/record/new-eu-proposal-to-relocate-160000-asylum-seekers/

ESO: Information Guide: European Migration Challenges http://www.europeansources.info/record/information-guide-european-migration-challenges/

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