BRUSSELS: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday urged member state governments to work together to handle refugees and promised to write a new migration rule book.

The president of the European Commission said she proposes to replace the so-called Dublin Regulation under which asylum claims are handled in the country they are first made.

Member states are bitterly divided over how to handle refugees, with Italy and Greece seeking more help to house the thousands who have arrived on their shores.