EU plans to bring 50,000 vulnerable refugees from Africa to Europe

The EU has announced plans to bring 50,000 of the most vulnerable refugees from African countries to Europe.

Some £439m has been set aside to find homes for migrants from countries including Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Niger and Chad.

The EU Commission is aiming to bring the refugees to Europe legally, enabling them to avoid people smugglers.

It said it “is recommending to bring at least 50,000 of the most vulnerable persons in need of international protection to Europe over the next two years”.

The Commission added: “This is part of the Commission’s efforts to for those who risk their lives at the hands of criminal smuggling networks.

“The new scheme will be in place until October 2019 and will build on the current successful resettlement schemes which are now coming to an end.”

The announcement comes following the end of a two-year programme that relocated 29,000 refugees – some way short of the planned 160,000 due to the refusal of countries like Hungary and Slovakia to co-operate.

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The move is an attempt by the EU to stem the flow of hundreds of thousands of refugees and unauthorised migrants who have tried to enter Europe over the past few years.

As well as the move to resettle asylum seekers, the EU said it will boost efforts to send back illegal migrants who are not granted asylum.

The EU has taken in more than 1.7m people from the Middle East and Africa since 2014.