Migration divides Europe’s leaders before summit

European Union leaders are struggling to maintain a coordinated approach on migration policy after member states including Germany and Poland announced strict new border controls.

The issue is one of the most pressing concerns in the EU and failure to reach a common policy means countries will impose harsher border checks with their neighbours within the visa-free Schengen zone, threatening free movement in the bloc and the efficiencies of the single market.

“Illegal migration today is an issue of the EU’s internal security as well as its cohesion,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters ahead of the meeting. “A solution based on checks on the Schengen zone’s internal borders, as some states are doing, goes directly against the spirit of the EU.”

Aside from migration, the leaders will hit other topics, including their first discussion on how to boost the EU’s competitiveness after former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi warned of a “slow agony” if the bloc didn’t transform its economy to better take on Beijing and Washington.

Here are the main issues to watch:

Migration

The discussion will be framed by a letter European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sent to leaders this week, as the bloc has hardened its stance on the issue.

She broached the prospect of speeding up implementation of parts of the migration and asylum pact and said the bloc should explore setting up “return hubs” in non-EU countries where asylum-seekers would be processed.

Ahead of the summit, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Dutch and Danish counterparts will convene an informal meeting with about a dozen other leaders to discuss ways to reduce the number of arrivals.

The meeting coincides with an Italian naval vessel delivering the first group of migrants to Albania this week as part of a controversial deal to process asylum claims in the Balkan nation.

Fiala praised the Italian deal and said the EU should seek to replicate that model with other non-EU countries. Talks have already been held with some African countries, he added.

Middle East

EU countries have clashed over their response to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Ireland and Spain, which recognise the Palestinian state, have suggested suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement over human rights violations in Gaza.

A draft of the summit conclusions that is still subject to change will say that the EU “is deeply alarmed by the dramatic military escalation in the Middle East and the risk this represents for the entire region.”

“It is important to say that Europe has not used every lever at its disposal,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told reporters. “It is entirely appropriate that the EU-Israel Association Agreement would be reviewed.”

Ukraine

Leaders will reaffirm their support for Kyiv for as long as it takes, with the country approaching its third full winter of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will attend the summit to explain his “victory plan,” a blueprint of his terms for a potential end to Russia’s invasion.

The leaders will also try and convince Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to tweak the bloc’s sanctions regime to allow for US participation in a $50 billion (€46 billion euro) aid package for Kyiv that will be backed by frozen Russian central bank assets stuck in Europe. Until now, Orbán has said he won’t take a decision on the matter until after the US election next month.

Competitiveness

EU countries have generally agreed with Draghi’s diagnosis that the EU faces an “existential challenge,” and must move quickly to develop its advanced technologies, create a plan to meet its climate targets and boost defense and security of critical raw materials.

But the 27 nations have clashed over the best formula to boost Europe’s standing.

While Nordic countries primarily focus on bringing down barriers in the internal market and cutting red tape, Southern members support Draghi’s call for additional joint borrowing to finance European common goods, such as air defense or electricity grids, the people said.

Some leaders have pushed to discuss the EU’s decision to impose tariffs on electric vehicles made in China, a move that’s already drawn retaliation by Beijing.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

Source link : https://www.luxtimes.lu/europeanunion/migration-divides-europe-s-leaders-before-summit/23123605.html

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Publish date : 2024-10-17 05:45:00

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