Ska Keller: 'No excuse' for EU states not to share refugees

EU lawmakers have welcomed a court ruling rejecting an appeal by Hungary and Slovakia against the European Union's flagship refugee-sharing scheme.

Lead parliamentarian on the scheme Ska Keller said Wednesday that the ruling means "there is no excuse" for EU states not to share refugees from Greece and Italy as they have committed to do.

She said that "leaders such as [Hungarian Prime Minister] Viktor Orban cannot demand more money for border protection, while blocking the reception of refugees from Greece and Italy."

Claude Moraes, chairman of the Civil Liberties Committee dealing with migration, said "we urgently need to have in place an organized and compassionate response" to the plight of refugees.

He said the slow pace of relocation "draws attention to significant gaps in the EU's response to the biggest refugee crisis on the continent...