Interior ministers from the 27 European Union countries struck the deal on Thursday, hoping to end years of division dating back to 2015 when more than a million people, most fleeing war in Syria, arrived in the EU on the other side of the Mediterranean.
German Minister Nancy Weser hailed the deal, calling it “historic”.
In contrast, Hungary opposed the deal, calling it “unacceptable”.
“Brussels is abusing its power,” Hungarian government spokesman Zoltán Kovacs wrote in a message posted on Twitter.
“They want to (transfer) migrants to Hungary by force. This is unacceptable,” he added.
great achievement
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said of the agreement: “It is a great achievement, which shows that it is possible for us to work together on migration. We are much stronger when we let’s work together.”
The reception of migrants has become an increasingly controversial issue in the European Union since 2015.
With the difficulty of agreeing on the sharing of responsibilities, EU countries have focused on reducing the number of arrivals. UN data showed less than 160,000 people crossed the sea to the bloc last year.
Around 2,500 people died or went missing during the perilous crossing during the same period.
Countries on the southern edge of the European Union, including Italy and Greece, have long called for more help to deal with people reaching their shores.
Eastern EU countries such as Poland and Hungary have refused to welcome anyone from the Muslim-majority region of the Middle East and North Africa, while right-wing and populist parties in the entire bloc fueled the debate with their anti-immigration rhetoric.
As the ministers spoke, Italian Prime Minister Giorga Meloni, his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced they would visit Tunisia to discuss economic and energy relations. Tunisia is a gateway for migration from Africa to Europe.
Under the deal, which is due to be finalized before the 2024 European elections, each country will be responsible for a set number of people, but will not necessarily have to host them.
Countries that do not wish to host illegal immigrants and refugees arriving in the European Union will be able to help host countries financially, providing around 20,000 euros per person, equipment or personnel.
The deal would introduce a new fast-track border measure for those unlikely to be granted asylum, to prevent them from staying in the bloc for years.
Poland and Hungary have opposed the deal and said EU leaders are expected to discuss the issue when they meet later in June. However, this did not affect the majority agreement.
Liberal critics of the deal said the fast-track border measure threatened to repeat the tragedies of the Greek islands several years ago by creating more overcrowded and inadequate migrant camps on the fringes of the European Union.
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