Merkel, Hollande agree refugee crisis needs EU solution

PanARMENIAN.Net - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande stressed on Sunday, February 7, the migrant crisis, which brought more than a million people to the European Union last year, needs an EU-level solution, Reuters reports.

The two leaders were meeting in Strasbourg on the Franco-German border to discuss the agenda of the next European summit on February 18-19. They had a private meeting before joining EU Parliament Chairman Martin Schulz for dinner.

Hollande and Merkel agreed the action plan defined by the European Commission was a priority, a source close to the French president said, according to Reuters.

The plan involves assistance to Greece to control its borders, reinforcing its means to register refugees but also a fight against smugglers and the acceleration of procedures to expel illegal migrants.

It also includes a package for Turkey to help it curb the influx of migrants into Europe.

Separately, the two leaders also expressed a "strong common concern" about the situation in Syria, the French source said.