Jean-Claude Juncker, European Union chief executive, asked the 28 countries in the union to take on their share of refugees spilling into the continent from the Middle East, according to Yahoo! News.
This week, Hungary, Austria and Denmark closed major highways to groups of migrants walking on foot. Tens of thousands are attempting to get to Germany and Sweden, countries that have vowed to welcome migrants.
Juncker used his State of the Union speech to appeal to other countries. "Now is not the time to take fright. It is time for bold, determined and concerted action," he said. Juncker suggested that the European Union should accept 160,000 more refugees, according to The Guardian.
"Today it is Europe that is sought as a place of refuge and exile. It is Europe today that represents a beacon of hope, a haven of stability in the eyes of women and men in the Middle East and in Africa. That is something to be proud of and not something to fear," he said.
During the speech, he asked for a refugee-sharing system and other measures to help alleviate the current migrant crisis in Europe. Next Monday, interior ministers from all 28 EU countries will meet in Brussels to discuss the crisis.
"President Juncker has reminded us that once we were also refugees," Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said of the speech, according to NDTV. Syria now has four million citizens living as refugees in other nations. Australia and the U.S. will both take in refugees in coming months.
