Government set for EU talks on migrants crisis

The Government is set for showdown talks with the EU over whether the country is taking in enough migrants fleeing across the Mediterranean, after it was claimed we are putting our “reputation as a caring and compassionate country at risk” by refusing to increase the number of people allowed enter the country.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald confirmed she will “have the opportunity to discuss the next steps with my European colleagues” at the EU’s next justice and home affairs council meeting on October 8, after a row erupted over claims Ireland is failing to meet its moral obligations on the issue.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said countries with an “opt-in” clause on EU-wide issues such as Ireland, Denmark, and Britain should take in more migrants and called for a new quota system to be set up based on a nation’s comparative wealth.