The European Union has failed to reach agreement on a plan to share 120,000 refugees arriving in Italy, Greece and Hungary.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said late Monday after chairing a meeting of EU interior ministers that "it is premature for the Council to take a decision today."

Asselborn said that "even though we are in urgent circumstances we have to follow procedures."

The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary had been among the nations opposed leading up to the emergency meeting.

Earlier, they rubber-stamped a plan drawn up in May to share 40,000 refugees from Greece and Italy, but not all member states are yet willing to accept the number of refugees that have been allocated to them under that plan.