Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Victor Ponta both said that Romania will not accept mandatory refugee quotas set by the European Commission. Both officials said that Romania could take in some 1,700 refugees in the following months.

French newspaper Le Monde reported on Monday that the European Commission might ask Romania to host 4,646 refugees out of the 120,000 that have come to Europe in the last three months. These 4,646 would add to the 1,705 refugees that Romania has already agreed to receive in June, which would raise the total to 6,351, according to an official document quoted by Le Monde.

The Romanian officials have dismissed these figures as journalistic speculations saying that the European Union has presented no data on this.

Romania has already communicated to the European Commission that it could take in 1,785 refugees, after several discussions between March and July 2015, President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday in a press conference.

“There’s no need for us to react hysterically, as there’s no need to show our xenophobe side. We must show solidarity to the EU states, but I still think we should keep the voluntary quotas. The mandatory imposed quotas are not a solution. I have summoned the Country’s Supreme Defense Council for September 17 and will support the same view in the European Council, in mid-October,” said Iohannis.

“Romania will receive 1,785 refugees because this is the number of available accommodation places. Not more. And it’s not only accommodation but integration into the society. And this is much more complicated. It wouldn’t be difficult to turn an old military barrack into a refugee center, but Romania doesn’t have the capacity to integrate these refugees into its society. This is what we can do now,” the President explained.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on Tuesday that he was glad the President cleared this problem. He said that the 1,785 refugees that Romania could take in included about 200 that were already here. “This is the number we can manage and it’s good that we have a common view, Presidency – Government, on this issue,” Ponta added.

Romania's position is similar to that of most eastern European EU member states, which also oppose mandatory refugee quotas.

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editor@romania-insider.com