NOW Spain has a government at last, it will have to get cracking if it is to meet its target of re-settling 18,000 refugees by September 2017.
So far, only 687 of them – mostly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan – have arrived in Spain from camps in Greece and Italy.
Spain made a commitment in 2015 to take its quota in a bid to relieve the massive humanitarian crisis affecting Europe as hundreds of thousands flee countries destroyed by armed conflict, risking their lives to reach the safety of the continent.
Initially, the EU set up a re-housing programme involving 160,000 asylum seekers being given shelter throughout the 28 member States, most of whom were already living in appalling conditions in camps in Italy and Greece, then this number was increased by 22,000 to help ease the burden for Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, where the bulk of the African and Middle Eastern refugees are based.
In fact, a recent study shows Jordan is home to more refugees than anywhere else in the world, with nearly 50% of its population being asylum seekers.
Although critical at first with the EU's requests, claiming the European Commission had not taken into account the circumstances of individual member States such as poverty or existing percentage of immigrants, Marian Rajoy (PP)'s cabinet agreed to house 18,000 refugees, of whom 1,400 would come from camps in the countries bordering their native lands and the rest from camps already on EU soil.
Up to the end of September this year, according to interior ministry figures, Spain had welcomed 398 refugees – 50 from Italy and 348 from Greece – and this month, its leader Jorge Fernández Díaz said another 400 from Greece and 100 from Italy would be on their way, meaning a total of 900 by the end of 2016.
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