UNHCR says EU must go beyond relocating 120,000 refugees

Geneva: A European Union proposal to find spaces for 120,000 refugees will not work unless reception facilities are provided for tens of thousands at any time, the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday. 

"A relocation programme alone, at this stage in the crisis, will not be enough to stabilise the situation," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said.

A total of 477,906 migrants had arrived in Europe by sea this year, she added.