Sweden tells refugees to stay in north Germany
Sweden's Migration Minister Morgan Johansson has urged refugees in northern Germany to stay put, after declaring that the Nordic nation is now unable to guarantee beds for all asylum seekers.
Sweden is struggling to provide enough beds for the record number of refugees crossing into the country from Germany and elsewhere, the government confirmed on Thursday.
At a press conference, Migration Minister Morgan Johansson told reporters that there was no longer a guarantee that all asylum seekers could be offered emergency accommodation.
"We are in in a very dramatic situation, it has become even more dramatic in recent days. Last week we saw a decline, but now the past few days, we see an increase," he said, referring to the ongoing arrival of refugees fleeing war-torn nations to seek new lives in Sweden.
SEE ALSO: Sweden can no longer gaurantee refugees beds
"I can't see how it would be any better here than in Sweden – people are already sleeping on camping mats in empty market halls," Anke Erdmann, a Green Party state parliament member for the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein told The Local.
Erdmann added that around 1,800 refugees were stuck in northern port city Rostock trying to get tickets to Sweden, which was only offering tickets to 50 or 60 people each day – down from 150 last week.
Meanwhile, between 600 and 800 people are waiting to travel to Sweden from Schleswig-Holstein's state capital Kiel under similar circumstances.
"The problems they've described affect us too, of course I can understand Sweden's problem, but it's the same in Rostock, Lübeck and Kiel," Erdmann said.
The move comes just a day after Prime Minister Stefan Löfven released a written statement calling on the European Commission to push other member states to do more to help tackle the refugee crisis.
"Sweden has long taken an unreasonably large responsibility in comparison with other countries in the EU, and now we are in a very tight position. It is time that other countries now take responsibility and therefore the government requests the redistribution of refugees from Sweden," he said.
Sweden's Migration Board announced earlier on Thursday that more than 2,000 asylum seekers were expected to try and travel to Sweden from Rostock in northern Germany, which would have meant a new daily record.
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Sweden is struggling to provide enough beds for the record number of refugees crossing into the country from Germany and elsewhere, the government confirmed on Thursday.
At a press conference, Migration Minister Morgan Johansson told reporters that there was no longer a guarantee that all asylum seekers could be offered emergency accommodation.
"We are in in a very dramatic situation, it has become even more dramatic in recent days. Last week we saw a decline, but now the past few days, we see an increase," he said, referring to the ongoing arrival of refugees fleeing war-torn nations to seek new lives in Sweden.
SEE ALSO: Sweden can no longer gaurantee refugees beds
"I can't see how it would be any better here than in Sweden – people are already sleeping on camping mats in empty market halls," Anke Erdmann, a Green Party state parliament member for the north German state of Schleswig-Holstein told The Local.
Erdmann added that around 1,800 refugees were stuck in northern port city Rostock trying to get tickets to Sweden, which was only offering tickets to 50 or 60 people each day – down from 150 last week.
Meanwhile, between 600 and 800 people are waiting to travel to Sweden from Schleswig-Holstein's state capital Kiel under similar circumstances.
"The problems they've described affect us too, of course I can understand Sweden's problem, but it's the same in Rostock, Lübeck and Kiel," Erdmann said.
The move comes just a day after Prime Minister Stefan Löfven released a written statement calling on the European Commission to push other member states to do more to help tackle the refugee crisis.
"Sweden has long taken an unreasonably large responsibility in comparison with other countries in the EU, and now we are in a very tight position. It is time that other countries now take responsibility and therefore the government requests the redistribution of refugees from Sweden," he said.
Sweden's Migration Board announced earlier on Thursday that more than 2,000 asylum seekers were expected to try and travel to Sweden from Rostock in northern Germany, which would have meant a new daily record.
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