Europe is facing an "unprecedented humanitarian and political crisis" as it struggles with the huge influx of refugees and migrants, the European Commission's vice-president Frans Timmermans said Thursday.

"We must find European responses to a problem that cannot be resolved by countries individually," Timmermans said ahead of talks with Greek Prime Minister Vassiliki Thanou on a crisis that has seen more than 230,000 people land on Greek shores this year.