EU leaders agree to relocate 40,000 migrants

 European Union leaders agreed on Friday to relocate 40,000 refugees from Italy and Greece to other EU countries over the next two years, in an effort to share the burden of a growing migrant crisis. EU President Donald Tusk said the agreement was reached after an overnight summit to show “solidarity with frontline countries.”

French President Francois Hollande said the EU will also resettle 20,000 refugees, mostly from Syria and Iraq, who are currently in camps outside the EU. The migrant crisis has caused tensions among EU countries, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made an emotional plea to the leaders for help.

More than 114,000 migrants have been plucked from the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Some 2,600 have died or gone missing during the often-perilous sea crossing.