A group of refugees and migrants who were walking north stand on the highway in southern Denmark on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015.Ernst van Norde/The Associated Press
Denmark's police chief says his officers have been ordered not to stop hundreds of refugees and migrants who have entered the country via Germany.
Jens Henrik Hoejbjerg says it is purely a police decision, adding Danish officers "can't detain foreigners who do not want to seek asylum (in Denmark)."
In Thursday's statement, Hoejbjerg said the National Police took the decision late Wednesday. There was no immediate reaction from the Danish government.
Under EU rules, people seeking asylum should do so in the first EU country they enter and not travel from one country to another.
Many of the migrants say they want to go on to Sweden, Norway or Finland, because they have relatives there or believe that conditions for asylum-seekers are better.
NETHERLANDS
The Dutch parliament on Thursday will debate a European Union request to accept thousands more asylum seekers, an issue that deeply divides the Netherlands where Geert Wilders' anti-immigration party leads opinion polls.
Roughly 54 percent of Dutch voters are opposed to accepting more than roughly 2,000 refugees previously agreed, a poll from last week showed. Under the latest proposals that figure is seen rising to more than 9,000.
The government of conservative Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday it was willing in principle to accept a larger share of asylum seekers, but only as a "temporary solution".
In the long term, the Dutch want better shelters for refugees near conflict zones and will donate 110 million euros ($123 million) this year to improve capacity in and near Syria.
The government plans to toughen its stance by cutting off food and shelter after a few weeks for those whose claims for refugee status are turned down.
It was not clear whether lawmakers would vote on the issue after their debate.
IRELAND
Ireland said on Thursday it would accept additional refugees from Europe's migrant crisis, taking the number expected up to 4,000.
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said Dublin had agreed to accept up to 2,900 more refugees than currently planned. It has already committed to take 600 people and 520 more are currently being resettled.
"We have all been shocked and upset at the scenes witnessed in southern and central Europe and the distressing scenes during rescues in the Mediterranean. It is only right that we are do all we can as a nation to help," Fitzgerald said.
Ireland, which has a population of around 4.6 million people, is a member of the European Union but has not signed up to the EU's plan to share refugees across the bloc.
HUNGARY
Hungarian police captured a record 3,321 migrants on Wednesday, the highest daily figure so far this year, above the 3,313 detained last Thursday, data published on its website showed.
The new arrivals brought the numbers of refugees and migrants looking to move on towards western Europe from Serbia through Hungary to nearly 22,000 this month alone.