EU bids to implement new migration laws to curtail refugee numbers

The European Commission has made a move to unify asylum rules within the EU to avoid the moving around of refugees within the zone.

Last year 1.3 million people entered the bloc in a never-before-seen wave following escalating civil unrest in various parts of Africa and the Middle East. The majority ignored the legal boundaries placed before them.

"The changes will create a genuine common asylum procedure," said EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.

"At the same time, we set clear obligations and duties for asylum seekers to prevent secondary movements and abuse of procedures."

The proposal aims to standardise the procedure, as well as the reception facilities for refugees, setting a common framework for their access to jobs, education, healthcare etc.

It would grant refugees quicker rights to work, but also obliging them to co-operate with the authorities and head to an EU state of their choice rather than staying put, or their asylum application could be jeopardised.

The proposal will be revised by those in the member-states of the EU before it gains approval.

Eastern European countries have rejected calls for a fairer distribution of refugees throughout European countries, after Brussels suggested the idea. The refugee agency of the EU, the UNHCR, has said that it prefers to abandon the policy of first country of arrival, something the likes of Poland and the Czech Republic oppose.

It is unclear whether these countries would face any sanctions in that case, and Avramopoulos said that "we're not here to punish, we are here to persuade. But if this persuasion doesn't succeed, then yes, we're thinking of doing that. But we're not there yet."