Brussels to propose overhaul of EU asylum system: report

"According to draft reform options seen by the Financial Times, responsibility for all asylum claims could be shifted to the European Asylum Support Office," a EU agency, it said.
Currently, asylum seekers must lodge claims in the first EU country they arrive in, a rule that has been undermined since German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided not to enforce it last year.
The report comes as ahead of a meeting of European leaders in Brussels to discuss the crisis, which has seen 1.2 million asylum seekers fleeing war in Syria and upheaval across the Middle East, Asia and Africa land in the EU last year.
The influx has threatened the bloc's passport-free Schengen zone after several countries closed their borders.
Previous attempts to distribute refugees between EU member states stalled due to disagreements, and any plan to revive the idea could prove politically difficult in Britain where fierce campaigning is underway ahead of a June referendum on the country's continued membership of the bloc.
Immigration and the ability to control its borders is a red hot issue in the debate.
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