The project of a voluntary solidarity mechanism for the distribution of migrants arriving in the European Union via the Mediterranean is taking shape.

The first people would be redistributed this month, announced EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson on Tuesday at the meeting of EU interior ministers in Prague.

For the first time she gave concrete numbers.

So far there are 13 states that are willing to do this, together they have offered more than 8,000 places.

Thomas Gutschker

Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and the Benelux countries based in Brussels.

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For many years it was not possible to get such voluntary commitments for the "relocation".

"Now, in the midst of the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, with so much uncertainty around us, we still made it," said the Swedish social democrat.

Other states would at least participate financially.

Germany has offered 3500 places, as a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior confirmed to the FAZ - by far the largest contingent.

The other EU countries are Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Ireland, Croatia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal and Romania, as well as Norway and Liechtenstein, which belong to the Schengen area as associated members.

Denmark, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Switzerland have agreed to contribute financially.

This means that at least one country from the group of Visegrád states is taking part in the mechanism, which can also be explained by the fact that the government in Prague, as the current Council Presidency, sees itself as having a special responsibility.

France wants to take in 10,000 migrants

The solidarity mechanism was proposed and negotiated by the previous French Presidency in June.

It is intended to relieve the five Mediterranean countries Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain and Cyprus.

In return, these countries gave up their opposition to the next steps in reforming asylum and migration laws.

This concerns a revised Eurodac regulation for better registration of asylum seekers and the screening regulation, which enables an accelerated procedure for migrants with little chance of protection in the EU.

In both cases, the Council agreed on a common position in June, which now makes it possible to enter into negotiations with Parliament.

France had set the goal of offering 10,000 places for relocation to Mediterranean countries.

The voluntary mechanism will initially be valid for one year and will be reviewed after six months.

According to the EU border protection agency Frontex, the number of illegal border crossings on the eastern Mediterranean route has more than doubled in the first five months of this year (compared to the same period last year).

Cyprus is particularly badly affected, where 9,200 transfers were registered, an increase of a good 200 percent.

The people came mainly from Nigeria, Syria and Congo.

There are only slightly more arrivals on the central Mediterranean route to Italy and Malta.

In the next few weeks, the EU Commission and the member states must determine how the individual states are to be relieved and which people are to be given priority.

It also needs to be clarified how the financial contributions of those who do not want to take on migrants are calculated.

The pact negotiated by France also stipulates that instead of a payment, the states can also provide support in the form of services, personnel and equipment, for example with border surveillance or the repatriation of rejected applicants.