Germany asks EU countries to pay 3bn euros each for Syrian refugees

Germany wants every European Union state to contribute to a 3 billion euro aid kitty for Syrian refugees in Turkey, saying it is a question of “European solidarity”.

“All member states should contribute to the financing totalling three billion euros,” finance ministry state secretary Jens Spahn told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung in comments confirmed by the government.

“It is also a question of European solidarity,” said Mr Spahn.The sum was pledged to Turkey following a summit on Sunday, but details on the bill for individual EU states have yet to emerge.

Mr Spahn said the question would be broached at a EU finance ministers’ meeting next week.Turkey says it has taken in a total of 2.2 million refugees from Syria’s four-year civil war and still maintains an “open door policy” while warning its capacity to take more is limited.

The EU initiative is not completely altruistic, as the bloc expects Turkey’s help in discouraging the flow of refugees westward.

Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday that European Union and Turkish leaders may announce a behind-the-scenes agreement later this week to resettle 4,00,000 to 5,00,000 Syrian refugees directly from Turkey to the EU.

Speaking to a meeting of Hungarian leaders in Budapest, Mr Orban said he expected intense pressure from Europe to accept some part of those half a million refugees, something he said Budapest could not do.