Belgium wants Europe to take in twice as many refugees

During a specially convened summit yesterday in Brussels, Belgium’s prime minister Charles Michel (pictured) presented a plan to address the problem of asylum-seekers and refugees who lose their lives every year while trying to enter Europe. The plan includes the provision of additional shelter for accommodating the refugees, and the deployment of a Belgian command ship to lead rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea, reports Belga news agency.

"We want to encourage European solidarity for the management of refugee flows," said Michel, who was "shocked" by the recent deaths of hundreds of migrants at sea. "The fight against human trafficking is one issue that we absolutely must address and resolve."

According to Belga, Belgium has requested that the EU rehouse 10,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, instead of the current 5,000. Should the EU agree, Belgium is prepared to provide the European border agency Frontex with additional staff. These so-called debriefers conduct interviews with migrants for the purpose of gathering information about human trafficking.

Michel added that Belgium could provide other forms of support, as well, including the deployment of the Belgian navy’s command and logistical support ship Godetia, and the detachment of rescue teams to the vulnerable areas.