EU could slash UK’s funding if we don’t take more migrants

THE european Union last night threatened to cut funding to countries such as Britain unless they take more refugees.

Officials admitted they were considering a plan to concentrate EU grant spending on the countries that accept the most migrants.

the move would increase pressure on Britain and countries in eastern europe that have so far been reluctant to take part in schemes, such as quotas, to share the burden caused by the influx.

As tensions simmered between countries over how to handle the problem yesterday, Slovakian prime minister robert Fico led the opposition to the EU’s desire to introduce a quota system to distribute successful asylum applicants.

‘We strongly reject any quotas,’ he said. ‘if a mechanism for automatic redistribution of migrants is adopted, then we will wake up one day and have 100,000 people from the Arab world and that is a problem i would not like Slovakia to have.’ the international Organisation for Migration said yesterday that more than 350,000 migrants had entered europe since January. that compares with 219,000 in the whole of 2014 – meaning this year so far has seen the biggest movement of people since the Second World War.

EU ministers are due to hold talks in Brussels on September 14 to find measures to cope with escalating migration.

Austrian chancellor Werner Faymann said he was in favour of turning up pressure on countries such as the UK that would refuse mandatory quotas by a ‘reduction of EU funding’ if necessary.

He also threatened to block David cameron’s EU re-negotiation unless Britain takes more migrants. Speaking on Aus- trian television, Mr Faymann said: ‘When i think of the British, who have their own catalogue of demands, why should we do anything for them?’

German MEP elmar Brok told newspaper tagesspiegel: ‘As a last resort, one could consider that there is more money from the EU Structural Funds for those member states that respond adequately to the situation of refugees.’

countries already receive £4,431 from an EU asylum fund for every migrant they agree to take from Greece and italy, but this could also see budgets for unrelated infrastructure projects funnelled to member states who welcome more people.

Asked if the european commission was considering a scheme to distribute money from EU Structural Funds, a spokesman could not rule it out. UKIP MEP Jonathan Arnott called the plan ‘outrageous’.