The Ministry of the Interior will begin discussions with the City of Reykjavík about the possibility of the capital taking part in housing asylum seekers who have arrived in Iceland.
The need for discussions has arisen after it was announced last week that a proposal from the Mayor of Reykjanesbær, Árni Sigfússon, to cease housing of asylum seekers in the municipality was unanimously approved, RÚV reports.
Minister of the Interior, Ögmundur Jónasson, will provide more details of what will be requested of Reykjavík next week.
There has been a surprising increase in the number of individuals seeking asylum in Iceland in 2013, with more than 50 new cases being opened in the first months of the year. While officials are not sure why, the vast majority (30), of the new asylum seekers hail from Croatia, which is set to join the European Union in July.
While Ögmundur says that he does not want to speculate as to why there has been a sharp increase in asylum cases in 2013 or why so many new arrivals are coming from Croatia, he intends to prioritize asylum seekers and determining the cause of their increased numbers.
Related:
Reykjanesbær Will Not Continue To Accept Asylum Seekers
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