BRUSSELS will sting Britain with a multi-million pound bill so it can convince rebellious EU countries to take in more migrants, Express.co.uk can reveal. Europe’s elite are offering member states €10,000 (£8,400) for EVERY refugee it homes, and will turn to UK taxpayers to pick up the tab.
The desperate measure is being introduced in an attempt to ease the growing migrant chaos on the continent, with huge numbers of refugees stranded in Greece and Italy.
But it will raise fears that Eurocrats are looking to squeeze Britain for every last penny before it officially quits the bloc and withdraw our £8.5billion annual net contribution.
The cash will be drawn from the overall budget meaning that although Britain is not part of the relocation scheme it will still be hit with the bill.
The sweetener bizarrely comes after Brussels originally threatened to fine member states £211,000 for each refugee they refused to relocate under the quota system.
The threat was made because Brussels’ response to the migrant crisis has been falling apart, with a number of member states reestablishing border controls and refusing to take in any more asylum seekers.
Hungary is even holding a referendum on whether to accept its quota of refugees.
Critics today branded the payment plans a “wild overreaction” and blasted Brussels bureaucrats for “attempting to close the stable door after the horse has bolted”.
Announcing the plans today, Jean-Claude Juncker’s EU Commission said: “To support Member States’ resettlement efforts under the targeted EU schemes, the Commission will provide €10,000 from the EU budget for each person resettled.”
So far 8,268 migrants have been relocated from Greece and Italy to other member states, out of a target of 22,504.