Denmark will choose the 500 refugees per year it has agreed to accept under the UN quota system on the basis of who can most easily integrate, Jyllands-Posten reports.

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The so-called quota refugees are those taken from refugee camps. Inger Støjberg, the integration minister, explained to the newspaper the government’s rationale for the selection criteria.

“It’s raving mad not to take the refugees who have the greatest chance of settling in Denmark,” she said.

“More weight should be placed on qualifications along the lines of whether you can learn the language, take an education and get a job. If someone finds it hard to settle in Denmark, they might find it easier to settle in another country.”

Radikale: It’s absurd
But the announcement has drawn criticism from opposition parties Enhedslisten and Radikale and the refugee council Dansk Flygtningehjælp.

Zenia Stampe, the integration spokesperson for Radikale, denounces the logic that it is in the refugees’ best interests to deny them asylum.

“It’s absurd,” she said. “Inger Støjberg has just visited the refugee camps, so she should know that the chance of a better existence over there compared to here is virtually nil.”