The Netherlands has agreed to take 2,047 asylum seekers as part of an EU plan to relocate refugees from southern European countries throughout Europe, Trouw reports on Tuesday.

European ministers met on Monday night to draw up a new plan to cope with the surge of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea. An earlier proposal fell apart after some countries said they would not participate and others refused to support the methodology.

However, the new agreement fell short of a European Commission target to relocate 40,000 asylum seekers arriving in Greece and Italy over the next two years. Instead, places have been found for 32,356.

Germany will take the most – around 10,000 – followed by France. But a number of EU countries, including the UK, Denmark, Austria and Hungary have refused to accept any at all. Poland, Spain and the Baltic states have also agreed to house minimum numbers.

Junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff said after the meeting: ‘To say I am happy would be going too far, but at least we can get started.’

The first asylum seekers are likely to arrive in September after the European parliament has had its say, Trouw said.

More on the EU’s plans