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"We do not support changing the Dublin system in principle," Raivo Kuut, deputy secretary general of the Estonian Interior Ministry for law enforcement and migration policy, told BNS on Thursday.

"We do not support automatic implementation of the relocation scheme. Relocation should be decided by the European Council separately each time a crisis breaks out. All present and future solidarity measures must take into account the population size of individual countries and the ratio of their GDP to the total GDP of the EU," Kuut said.

He said a distinction must be made between a normal situation and a crisis.

"When a crisis is being solved extraordinary solutions are justified and necessary," the official said.

"The problems that EU member states are standing face to face with now are complex, multifaceted, and require an integrated and well thought-out approach. This includes seeing to the more effective functioning of external borders through strengthening Frontex, for instance, as well as making the mechanisms of return more effective. The solutions should not be viewed narrowly in the context of the rights of applicants for international protection and developing the common asylum system, but as part of protecting the external border and managing migration flows more broadly," Kuut said.

"When dealing with usual migrant flows we should stick to the present Dublin system in general," the deputy secretary general of the Interior Ministry said.

"When it comes to both the present and the future system, I consider it important that the member states performed their duties correctly. For the Dublin system and the whole EU asylum system to work, it is necessary that all member states urgently identify the persons that have arrived in the Schengen area across the external border and ascertain their need for international protection if a relevant application has been filed. And the people who do not need protection or do not file an application must be sent back," Kuut said.

Under the current rules – known as Dublin rules after the city in which they were originally agreed – people must file their asylum claims in the first EU country in which they set foot, or be later sent back to that country. However, the EU's policy of open borders has   made it easy for asylum seekers  to quickly leave the first EU country they entered for their preferred destination.

The commission is looking at two broad options for changing the system. One would keep in place the obligation for arrivals to register and seek asylum in the country in which they arrive, but would then distribute asylum seekers across the bloc according to a prearranged formula if there was an emergency surge in arrivals. A second option would be to scrap the current system and replace it with one that automatically redistributes asylum seekers around the bloc.

"To deal better with a high number of arrivals and ensure a fair sharing of responsibility, the Commission could propose to amend the Dublin Regulation, either by streamlining and supplementing it with a corrective fairness mechanism or by moving to a new system based on a distribution key," the Commission said in a press release.

The Commission said it intends to propose a further harmonization of asylum procedures, to ensure a more humane and equal treatment across the EU and reduce pull factors that draw people to a small number of member states.

Kuut said Estonia is forming its opinion as regards the Commission's proposals and that the stance has to be discussed by the government.