Denmark to vote on controversial migrant assets bill

The Danish parliament has begun debating a highly controversial proposal to confiscate asylum seekers' valuables to pay for their upkeep.

MPs are expected to approve the proposal, which drew sharp criticism at home and abroad when it was announced.

Danish authorities insist the policy brings migrants in line with jobless Danes, who must sell assets above a certain level to claim benefits.

MPs are also expected to back plans to delay family reunions.

Denmark expects to receive around 20,000 asylum seekers in 2016, compared with 15,000 last year, the integration ministry told BBC News.

The bill has broad cross-party support.

Denmark and neighbouring Sweden recently tightened their borders in an attempt to bring down the number of migrants and refugees.

Migrants feel chill of tighter borders

Europe's migrant crisis

'Misunderstood bill'

Denmark is not the first European country to demand the assets of asylum seekers.

Earlier this month, Switzerland was criticised by a refugee group for seizing assets from some 100 people in 2015. Under Swiss rules, asylum seekers have to hand over assets above $1,000 (£700; €900).

Integration Minister Inger Stoejberg was forced to announce that no items deemed sentimental would be taken. The law would apply to cash or assets worth more than 10,000 kroner (1,340 euros, $1,450) - a figure raised from 3,000 kroner following objections.

UN refugee agency the UNHCR has warned that the proposals violate the European Convention on Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the UN Refugee Convention.

'An impossible choice'

Once a champion of refugees' rights, Denmark's goal is now to make itself less attractive for asylum-seekers. Mr Rasmussen's party won a June 2015 election after promising an "immediate slowdown" of Denmark's refugee influx.

"The tone in the public debate about refugees and immigrants has undoubtedly become tougher," Kashif Ahmad, the leader of the National Party, told the AFP news agency.

Amnesty International has said war refugees would face "an impossible choice" if the waiting period to apply to bring over their family was increased from one year to three.

"Either bring children and other loved ones on dangerous, even lethal journeys, or leave them behind and face a prolonged separation," said Amnesty spokeswoman Gauri van Gulik.

Where Europe is failing on migrants

Map of arrivals

The 28 member states have not agreed on an EU-wide mechanism for relocating migrants, meant to ease the burden on Greece and Italy. Only small groups have been relocated so far - and several states in Central and Eastern Europe refuse to accept migrants

The Schengen agreement on freedom of movement is in jeopardy - Hungary fenced off its borders with Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia; meanwhile Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and France also reimposed border controls

The Dublin regulation, under which refugees are required to claim asylum in the member state in which they first arrive, is not working effectively. Countries are no longer sending back migrants to their first point of entry to the EU

Thousands of migrants - many of them Syrian war refugees - still arrive daily from Turkey

Processing of asylum applications is slow and there is a big backlog - so reception centres are overcrowded

Germany - the main destination for migrants - is rethinking its open-door policy, partly because of outrage over assaults on women in Cologne at New Year