Commissioner calls for EU solidarity on migration

As a rise in migrant arrivals across the Western Mediterranean has intensified European concerns, EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos again called for European Union solidarity over the issue, warning that "purely national solutions lead to isolation."

"We are trying to convince everyone to take in refugees. So far, some are not prepared to do so. But now solidarity is crucial," the European comissioner for migration and home affairs told Germany's Handelsblatt without naming any particular countries. The Greek official was speaking ahead of a visit to Madrid to announce emergency EU aid to support Spanish border guards in curbing irregular migration.

After praising Germany, France and the Netherlands for living up to European values in the wake of the refugee crisis in 2015, Avramopoulos said he would "try to convince all member-states to do the same."

"Fair...