BRUSSELS - Faced with its worst migrant crisis since World War II, Europe has many sensible options to deal with people fleeing conflict in Syria and elsewhere -- but can't agree on any of them.

French, German Leaders Seek Coordinated EU Action on Migrants The Wall Street Journal

The Migrant Threat to EU Cohesion The Wall Street Journal

The situation has accelerated over the summer with a new stream of migrants arriving via the Balkans, adding to those braving death to cross the Mediterranean or risking their lives to enter the Channel Tunnel.

Efforts to redistribute refugees around the European Union have been hobbled by a lack of unity among governments running scared of right-wing populist parties.

Meanwhile, measures to stop the flow of asylum seekers at its source in the Middle East and North Africa have stalled because the turbulence in the region means Brussels has no stable governments it can deal with.

With no solution in sight, European countries are now resorting to desperate measures to keep out equally desperate migrants, such as a huge razor fence that Hungary is erecting on its Serbian border.

Officials and experts say EU states need to act quickly before the situation becomes uncontrollable, with no end in sight to the wars and political repression that are making the migrants flee.

"At the end of the day we need to do something, and it's much better to do something when you're still in control rather than when you're no longer in control," an EU diplomat told AFP.

"We need to work on several strands at the same time: how to divide the burden among Europeans, how to control better the external border, how to increase the cooperation with the countries of transit." (AFP)