German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking an Extraordinary Summit on the refugee crisis, with countries particularly affected by the problem.
According to exclusive information of the German newspaper Bild, the Chancellor wants the extraordinary "mini" meeting to take place before the regular European Council on June 28 and 29, probably at the end of next week. According to the newspaper, the Chancellor wants Greece, Italy and Austria, among others, to take part in the meeting, while it is not yet known whether Spain and the Balkan countries will take part.
However, according to an Italian government official, a final decision has not yet been made, and it is not clear exactly when it can be convened.
In recent weeks, the Chancellor has come under intense pressure from her governing partner, the Christian Social Union (CSU), on the issue of refugees, as their leader and Home Secretary, Horst Seehofer, threatens to act with or without her approval, ordering undocumented migrants or migrants whose asylum application has been rejected in another EU Member State are deported.
For her part, Merkel reiterated at every opportunity that the response to the refugee crisis should be European and not that of an individual state.