France's President Francois Hollande and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel are to discuss quotas for accepting migrants at a meeting tomorrow, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said.
In June, European Union governments rejected a push by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to set mandatory national quotas for states to take in some of the tens of thousands of refugees and migrants crowding ashore in Italy and Greece.
The announcement comes as Italy's coastguard picked up another 300 migrants from stricken boats in the Mediterranean, a day after overseeing the rescue of 4,400 people in one 24-hour period with help from British and Norwegian ships, as well as the LÉ Niamh.
Yesterday's total was the highest recorded for a single day in recent years as calm conditions encouraged people smugglers to leave Libya with boats stuffed with as many paying passengers on board as possible.
225 people - 139 men, 74 women and 12 children - from two inflatable vessels were picked up by the LÉ Niamh during the operation, which was coordinated by the Italian coastguard.
The LÉ Niamh deployed two ribs to the first vessel. All 107 migrants were safely on board the LÉ Niamh by midnight.
After the first rescue, the Irish vessel was re-tasked to assist with the rescue of a further 118 migrants in the vicinity.
