Video: The EU's refugee proposals... in theory and in practice

The approach of winter adds yet more urgency to the refugee crisis. Temperatures in Eastern Europe - which has seen a surge of asylum seekers in the past fortnight - fall well below freezing at night. More Syrians enter by the day, attempting to make it to Berlin before the cold sets in for good.

Two EU propsals have been presented in recent weeks. The most important concerns the Balkans route. Conditions along the path through Eastern Europe are dire: there are not enough places for asylum-seekers to sleep at night, as well as too little food. The meeting on Brussels on Sunday did not start well, with abuse flung one way and another between member states. Relations between many of those on the Balkans route had sunk to a level that meant this was the first time diplomats had exchanged words in weeks. But thanks to the continued pressures of Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU Commision President, and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, a deal was agreed upon.

Refugees walk through fields in Romania after crossing from Croatia (AP)

There will be 100,000 further holding places for asylum-seekers set up on the Balkans Route. It's a start. The problem is, 50,000 of those places are in Greece - and they are meant only as holding places, from which asylum-seekers move on to other countries, if and when they are granted refugee status. But of the 160,000 places pledged by the EU for refugee resettlement, only 1,000 have been offered so far. That needs to change, fast, or migrants will bottleneck in Greece, and the country will remain overwhelmed.

The second proposal concerns Turkey. Angela Merkel led the effort to encourage Turkey to boost its border patrols, and prevent asylum-seekers passing through. The EU offered 3bn Euros in aid in exchange, as well as renewed attention to the question of Turkey's EU membership. Already the plan is wobbling. The money hasn't arrived yet, and there is no guarantee that Turkey will uphold its side of the bargain even if it does.

Having a plan is better than nothing. But the key question now is can the EU push from theory into practice