Only 272 migrants have been relocated to other EU countries out of the 160,000 agreed in September byEuropean leaders, the European Commission said today.

"In order to deliver on relocation, both frontline Member States and Member States where persons in need should be relocated must quickly implement the two relocation decisions, notably by notifying and increasing places immediately available for relocation and receiving relocated persons," the commission said in a review of the migration crisis and action for this year.

On resettlement, the commission said that based on the information received from member states and associated states, 5,331 persons were due to be resettled under the scheme in 2015. At the end of last year, only 779 had been effectively resettled. A total of 22,504 people are due to be resettled by the end of 2017. 

The commission said Europe also needs to increase the rate of return of persons who do not have the right to stay in Europe

The commission said Europe also needs to increase the rate of return of persons who do not have the right to stay in Europe to their countries of origin, by implementing the Return Action Plan and moving forward on readmission agreements and negotiations;

On Schengen, it said the priority for 2016 should to return to the normal functioning of the arrangement by ensuring that Member States do not need to exceptionally introduce or prolong internal border controls.

The commission said the events of last year had shown that the Dublin System was unsustainable in its current form.

"As announced last September, the Commission will set out a reform of the Dublin System, with proposals due by March, as part of its work towards a single asylum system. To reduce the reliance on irregular routes going forward, the Commission is also preparing a package of measures on legal migration, including a reform of the Blue Card Directive."