蜜芽传媒

European nations are still split about what their policy should be over taking in Afghan refugees.

Some, like Germany, have suggested sending hundreds of millions of Euros to the countries surrounding Afghanistan to improve conditions and opportunities for refugees, as well as tightening borders, and preventing people smuggling. Its Interior Minister has said that setting targets for the numbers of Afghan refugees to be settled in Europe could spark another migration crisis.

But Victoria Rietig, Head of Migration for the German Council on Foreign Relations, says this concern is 'vastly exaggerated' and that while more support should be given to neighbouring countries, European countries still have a responsibility to take in refugees.

"A balanced response from the European Union would not just be investing in the neighbouring countries but also to open up legal pathways in the form of resettlement. Investing in the neighbouring countries is important, but unless you open up legal pathways, you're not going to have credibility with them."

(Photo: Afghan refugees in a makeshift camp in Chaman, a Pakistani town on the border with Afghanistan. Credit: AFP)

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