The slow pace of registering and relocating asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other member states is frustrating EU-led efforts to get a grip on broader migration issues.
Launched in September, the two-year plan to relocate 160,000 people in need of international protection remains mired in administrative, technical, and political delays.
The relocation figure is dwarfed by the number of people asking for asylum in Europe. Greece alone saw 758,000 arrive so far this year.
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Nikolaj joined EUobserver in 2012 and covers home affairs. He is originally from Denmark, but spent much of his life in France and in Belgium. He was awarded the King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.