Interior ministers from EU nations met in Sofia, Bulgaria on Thursday to discuss reforms to Europe's asylum rules aimed at easing split views on migration between the east and west.

The controversy over refugee quotas has delayed progress in reforming European asylum policy, but now there are signs of a breakthrough ahead of a June deadline to overhaul current rules on migrant distribution.

Read more: The EU migrant relocation and resettlement scheme - what you need to know

What is the current situation?

Current EU migration rules state that asylum requests must be processed in the country where asylum was first requested.

This has put a heavy burden on Greece and Italy, the two major entry points to Europe.

Proposed changes to the rules would create a permanent mechanism for all EU member states to admit refugees in the event of a new emergency.

The June deadline has been put in place because warm weather during this time tends to increase migrant flows across the Mediterranean.

Hungary and its eastern European neighbors, including Poland, have refused to take in refugees since the European Commission pushed through temporary refugee quotas in 2015.

Slovakia and the Czech Republic have also been reluctant to accept migrants from other EU countries, citing security concerns.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis The goal: Survival A journey combined with misery as well as dangers for the body and the soul: In their escape from war and suffering, hundreds of thousands of people, mostly from Syria, traveled to Greece from Turkey in 2015 and 2016. There are still around 10,000 people stranded on the islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos. More than 6,000 new arrivals were recorded this year from January to May.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis On foot to Europe In 2015 and 2016, more than a million people tried to reach Western Europe from Greece or Turkey over the Balkan route - through Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary. The stream of refugees stopped only when the route was officially closed and many countries sealed their borders. Today, most refugees opt for the dangerous Mediterranean route from Libya to Europe.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis Global dismay This picture shook the world. The body of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi from Syria washed up on a beach in Turkey in September 2015. The photograph was widely circulated in social networks and became a symbol of the refugee crisis. Europe could not look away anymore.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis Chaos and despair Last-minute rush: Thousands of refugees tried to get into overcrowded buses and trains in Croatia after it became known that the route through Europe would not remain open for long. In October 2015, Hungary closed its borders and installed container camps, where refugees would be kept for the duration of their asylum process.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis Unscrupulous reporting A Hungarian journalist caused uproar in September 2015 after she tripped a Syrian man who was trying to run from the police at Roszke, near the Hungarian border with Serbia. At the peak of the crisis, the tone against refugees became coarser. In Germany, attacks on refugee homes increased.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis No open borders The official closure of the Balkan route in March 2016 led to tumultuous scenes at border crossings. Thousands of refugees were stranded and there were reports of brutal violence. Many tried to circumvent border crossings, like these refugees at the Greek-Macedonian border shortly after borders were closed.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis Symbol of horror A child covered in blood and dust: the photograph of five-year-old Omran shocked the public when it was released in 2016. It became an allegory of the horror of the Syrian civil war and the suffering of the Syrian people. One year later, new pictures of the boy circulated on the internet, showing him much happier. Assad supporters say the picture last year was planted for propaganda purposes.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis The unknown new home A Syrian man carries his daughter in the rain at the Greek-Macedonian border in Idomeni. He hopes for security for his family in Europe. According to the Dublin regulation, asylum can be applied only in the country where the refugee first entered Europe. Many who travel further on are sent back. Above all, Greece and Italy carry the largest burden.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis Hope for support Germany remains the top destination, although the refugee and asylum policy in Germany has become more restrictive following the massive influx. No country in Europe has taken in as many refugees as Germany, which took in 1.2 million since the influx began in 2015. Chancellor Angela Merkel was an icon for many of the newcomers.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis Emergency situation in the camps In France's north, authorities clean up the infamous "jungle" in Calais. The camp caught fire during the evacuation in October 2016. Around 6,500 residents were distributed among other shelters in France. Half a year later, aid organizations reported many minor refugees living as homeless people around Calais.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis Drowning in the Mediterranean NGO and government rescue ships are constantly on the lookout for migrant boats in distress. Despite extreme danger during their voyage, many refugees, fleeing poverty or conflict in the home countries, expect to find a better future in Europe. The overcrowded boats and rubber dinghies often capsize. In 2017 alone, 1,800 people died in the crossing. In 2016, 5,000 people lost their lives.

World Refugee Day: Iconic images of the refugee crisis No justice in Libya Hundreds of thousands of refugees from Sub Saharan Africa and the Middle East wait in Libyan detention camps to cross the Mediterranean. Human smugglers and traffickers control the business. The conditions in the camps are reportedly catastrophic, human rights organizations say. Eyewitnesses report of slavery and forced prostitution. Still, the inmates never give up the dream of coming to Europe. Author: Charlotte Hauswedell



Asylum rules 'literally split Europe'

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, whose country holds the six-month rotating EU presidency, on Monday said current asylum rules "literally split Europe."

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere hinted Berlin was willing to drop its insistence on quotas in order to make progress on asylum policy reform, saying "We will decide on this at the end of the negotiations."

European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has said that Europe needs "a common European asylum system."

"Today it is Italy and Greece that are under huge pressure but nobody can assure us that the future is not holding some surprises in other parts," the former Greek foreign minister and Athens mayor said.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said his country, which has similar views on migrant quotas as other countries in the Visegrad Group including ex-communist states Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, would not change its stance.

"It is known that we want to fight against these quotas," Babis said. "The quotas are ineffective and a compromise is needed."

Read more: Bulgaria takes over EU presidency in turbulent times

Viktor Orban's most controversial migration comments 'Muslim invaders' "We don't see these people as Muslim refugees. We see them as Muslim invaders," Orban said in a recent interview with German daily Bild newspaper. The 54-year-old prime minister of Hungary added: "We believe that a large number of Muslims inevitably leads to parallel societies, because Christian and Muslim society will never unite." Multiculturalism, he said, "is only an illusion."

Viktor Orban's most controversial migration comments 'You wanted the migrants, we didn't' When asked by Bild whether it was fair for Germany to accept hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants while Hungary accepted none, Orban responded: "The difference is, you wanted the migrants, and we didn't." Migration, he said, threatens the "sovereignty and cultural identity" of Hungary.

Viktor Orban's most controversial migration comments 'Migration is poison' It was not the first time the Hungarian leader has framed migration as a problem for his country. In 2016, he said that Hungary "does not need a single migrant for the economy to work, or the population to sustain itself, or for the country to have a future." He added: "for us migration is not a solution but a problem ... not medicine but a poison, we don’t need it and won’t swallow it.”

Viktor Orban's most controversial migration comments 'Importing homophobia' Orban has repeatedly criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her decision to allow over a million migrants into Germany in the summer of 2015. Orban told Bild in early 2016: "If you take masses of non-registered immigrants from the Middle East into your country, you are importing terrorism, crime, anti-Semitism, and homophobia."

Viktor Orban's most controversial migration comments 'All terrorists are basically migrants' Orban has also repeatedly criticized the EU for trying to get member states to share refugees based on national quotas. In a 2015 interview with POLITICO, he suggested the bloc's leaders instead focus more on strengthening the EU's external border. In the same interview, he said: "Of course it’s not accepted, but the factual point is that all the terrorists are basically migrants."

Viktor Orban's most controversial migration comments 'Parallel societies' Orban has found allies in other right-wing governments in eastern Europe such as Poland that also oppose the EU's refugee policies. In an interview with Spanish TV channel Intereconomia in 2015, Orban raised fears about integrating Muslim migrants in the EU when he said: "What sort of Europe do we want to have? Parallel societies? Muslim communities living together with the Christian community?" Author: Alexander Pearson



How the 2015 migration crisis unfolded: War and poverty in the Middle East and elsewhere caused millions of people to flee their home countries. As points of entry, Greece and Italy were unable to cope with the sheer numbers and many migrants continued through to other EU countries.

Avoiding another migration crisis: Changes to the current European asylum rules, known as the "Dublin" rules, before June would lift the burden currently on Greece and Italy and potentially help avoid a repeat of the 2015 migration crisis that saw more than 3,700 migrants die on their journey.

Read more: UN: EU cooperation with Libya has led to 'unimaginable horrors' for migrants

How the EU reacted: The European Commission pushed through temporary refugee quotas in 2015. Eastern European countries have either refused or resisted taking in people seeking asylum. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been particularly vocal about not wanting to take in refugees, saying, "We don't see these people as Muslim refugees. We see them as Muslim invaders."

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law/rt (AFP, Reuters)