“In fact the number of refugee resettlements in Europe is not going up, but rather their previously uneven distribution is being evened out,” Íris Björg Kristjánsdóttir, parliamentary committee specialist on immigration and former head of the refugee committee, told Vísir.
“Germany and Sweden have until now taken by far the most refugees, as well as Greece and Italy,” she explains.
She goes on, saying that there is a lot of discussion within political circles about refugees and asylum seekers at the moment, and that the idea of Iceland taking more refugees is looked upon favorably.
“The redistribution of asylum applications will likely end up reaching us, as we are part of these projects, even though we are not in the European Union.”
Social affairs minister Eygló Harðardóttir has called for suggestions from the refugee committee about the next group of refugees to be granted access to Iceland, with a special request that the committee looks to Syria, in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis there.
“I think it is important that we apply ourselves to protect people from those dangers which have cost so many refugees their lives. We can do that best in cooperation with international agencies, as we have done until now, and by taking our quota of refugees,” Eygló says.
