Human Rights

View from London: Peripheral but wary

The UK used its opt-out on refugee quotas, but crisis may have far-reaching consequences for its future

View from Berlin: Pushing for robustness

Germany prioritises solidarity on refugees – and isn't willing to wait for others to agree

View from Paris: Clarity, but little boldness

France tows the German line on refugees, but with elections looming seeks to balance openness and firmness

View from Warsaw: Kopacz treads a fine line

With society deeply divided over refugees, the ruling Civic Platform party is under pressure to defend ‘Polish interests’

Refugees pushing Germany to take the lead again

What stands in the way of a bigger German role in the shaping the European response is the effect of intergovernmentalism and the lack of strong ideas with the power to build a core consensus behind them