The European Commission applauded Catalonia's decision to accept 4,500 refugees and asked Spain to follow suit. A letter from the EU Commissioner for Immigration praised Catalonia's efforts and expressed hope that the Spanish government would work with Catalonia to relocate refugees nationally. While an opponent criticized Catalonia's unilateral action, the Commissioner emphasized that all levels of government should contribute to refugee commitments.

1. Brussels applauds Catalonia decision to accept 4500
refugees, asks Madrid to follow
European Commission Spokesman Margaritis Schinas has asked the Catalan and Spanish
government to go further and work together in accepting refugees after Catalonia opened its
doors to 4,500 of them in March 2016. At a press conference in Brussels, Schinas confirmed
that the EU Commissioner for Immigration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris
Avramopalous sent a letter to Catalan President Carles Puigdemont applauding Catalonia’s
refugee immigration efforts. This comes after Catalan President Carles Puigdemont sent a let-
ter to inform Avramopalous that the Catalan government is “working to accommodate
around 4,500 refugees”.
CNA / Pous L. / Rambo Talabong
After Catalonia expressed its intent to open its doors to 4,500 refugees, the European Commission
for Immigration, Home Affairs and Citizenship expressed its hopes in a letter that the rest of the
Spain continues the effort.
European Commission Spokesman Margaritis Schinas says that the commission’s letter asks to
open up relocation for the refugees on a national level. “We ask that the regional government of
Catalonia and the central government in Madrid to work together to carry it forward,” the letter
reads.
Avramopalous says that Catalonia’s move to host 4,500 refugees is “a step in the right direction”,
and he hopes that the Spanish government follows suit as soon as possible. He points out that the
Spain has only accepted 18 refugees from Italy and can do more.
An opponent of Catalonia’s open door policy, Spanish Vice President Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría
expressed her dissent with Puigdemont’s action in March and criticised that he had made his offer
to the European Commissioner “alone, unilaterally and without agreement”.

2. But Avramopoulos emphasized that “all levels of government can contribute to implementing the
commitments” for the refugees. In his letter, Avramopoulos echoes Puigdemont’s sentiments who
called the public’s attention to immigration as a challenge for Europe.