Despite opposition from other EU states, Britain and Denmark are likely to test plans to set up safe areas for refugees in regions of conflict, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said today.
The European Commission and a refugee rights' group said such a move could hamper efforts to harmonise EU asylum laws and could just divert asylum seekers to other member states such as Germany and France.
Member state leaders at the EU summit in the Greek resort of Porto Carras rejected British plans for EU-funded pilot projects, yesterday. The proposals were then withdrawn.
Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, who was one of the strongest opponents of the idea, said he regretted that British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Danish counterpart had decided to go ahead with plans, but added that there was nothing the EU could do to prevent them.
"I do not think it is going to be successful," he said.
But Mr Rasmussen said he was certain other EU states would join the trials, a view reflected in draft summit conclusions noting member states' plans to explore the idea.
"It would be perfectly natural that we as one of the countries supporting Britain also discuss with Britain how we do this in practice," Mr Rasmussen told a news conference.
In Geneva, a spokesman for the United Nations refugee agency denied a British claim that it backed setting up "zones of protection" for refugees in their areas of origin.
"UNHCR has not been talking about zones of protection. We're not sure what this concept means," spokesman Mr Kris Janowski said.