EU interior ministers were attempting Thursday to overcome their differences on the redistribution of refugees across the bloc, but sources indicated they are still far off their target of relocating 40,000 people, dpa reported. Conflicts and repression in Africa and the Middle East have driven thousands of people to the European Union in search of protection or a better life. Many have died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, while the bulk of arrivals to the bloc have been concentrated in a handful of member states, where resources have been stretched. EU leaders decided last month to redistribute 40,000 migrants from Greece and Italy. But they failed to agree on a mandatory scheme spelling out how many refugees should be sent where. Germany, which takes in the highest number of asylum seekers in the 28-member bloc, has been urging other countries to do more.
