EU chief: Refugees refusing asylum destinations ‘outrageous’

BRUSSELS – A top European Union official says refugees cannot pick and choose where to be lodged in Europe and that they have a responsibility to go where space is available.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Monday that “it’s outrageous” and “not acceptable for refugees in Greece and Italy to refuse to take the plane for destinations other than Germany.”

Juncker said some EU governments are willing to accept refugees from overwhelmed Greece and Italy, “but there are very few refugees who agree to be relocated.”

The EU launched a relocation plan in September 2015 to redistribute among its members 160,000 refugees from the countries most impacted by the arrival of large numbers of refugees. More than a year later, only about 7,000 people have been moved.