The interests of refugees should not be forgotten in the attempt to distribute them fairly across the EU

EU member states agreed on 23 September to implement a quota system in which 120,000 refugees will be relocated from Greece and Italy to other countries across the EU. Esin Küçük writes that while there is a need to ensure a fair distribution of responsibility for refugees between member states, the interests of refugees should remain the most important concern. She argues that member states should reconsider the restrictions on secondary movements by asylum seekers within the EU, with individual countries compensated via a central fund for any inequalities that arise.