EU plan to share burden of migrants under threat as France joins countries opposing quota plan

PARIS – France has joined a chorus of voices opposing a European Union plan to ease pressure on nations dealing with an influx of Mediterranean migrants by establishing a quota system to share the burden.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls says he opposes the proposed plan to set maximum refugee limits for each country in the EU based on population, employment levels and other factors. In comments made Saturday on French TV, Valls said a quota system "was never part of the French propositions."

Last week Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told RTL radio that France supported the plan, which was already unraveling in the face of opposition among other EU countries.

Exact details of the plan haven't been hashed out, but countries including Hungary, Slovakia and Estonia have already rejected it.