Burden-sharing on asylum a ‘disgrace’, says Sigmar Gabriel

German Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel has described European Union member state burden-sharing on asylum seekers a "disgrace".

Mr Gabriel, the deputy chancellor, said too many members were simply interested in the gains and not the obligations involved in EU membership – an approach that had now reached breaking point.

"It is a disgrace for Europe that we are not able to secure a better distribution of refugees," he told the Bild tabloid on Monday.

Mr Gabriel said that Germany, Sweden and Austria accepted the largest numbers of refugees but there were other states that took "none or very few".

“We need a fair balance otherwise Europe risks losing its humanity,” he said. “Some EU states apparently see Europe as a kind of gain community, participating only when there is money and disembarking again when we’re dealing with responsibility. Whoever continues this will destroy Europe.”

In 2014 Germany accepted 202,815 asylum seekers, the most of any EU country. Calculated by population, Germany drops to eighth place, with 2,513 per one million population. Ireland is in 20th place in both absolute and relative terms, accepting 1,450 asylum seekers in 2014 or 315 per one million population, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. Only Spain and Portugal, take in fewer people, as well as central, eastern and Baltic EU members who joined after 2005.

By comparison Sweden accepted more than 81,000 asylum applications last year, or 8,365 per one million population: almost six times more than Ireland and three times more than Germany.

As elsewhere, the rising numbers of refugees and asylum seekers has left local authorities in Germany struggling to process applications and find accommodation.

Bavaria has sparked controversy with a proposal to create special asylum-seeker camps on its borders with the Czech Republic to fast-track – and deport – the large numbers of applicants from eastern Europe and the Balkans who, under German law, have little chance of being granted asylum.

Mr Gabriel said Germany was a “strong and empathetic” country to people in need, as was clear from the resources it committed to asylum and the many volunteers who assisted refugees and asylum seekers.

But the centre-left leader warned that, without a fairer distribution of refugees, demands in frontline countries for EU free movement rules to be set aside would only increase.

“We have to do everything to prevent the mood tipping over,” he said, describing the Schengen free movement agreement as “good for citizens and for German business and jobs”.

“But this great achievement will come under pressure if all refugees move into a few countries,” he said. “Then many will demand to return to the old borders. That is something we will have to avoid.”

In Bild Mr Gabriel dismissed suggestions within his Social Democrats (SPD) that Chancellor Angela Merkel's ongoing popularity make it difficult, if not impossible, for him to beat her in 2017. "In a democracy," he said, "everyone is beatable."