The EU migration deal explained
Leaders agree plan for European-wide secure migrant processing facilities following ‘incredibly heated’ all-nighter
EU member states have put together a deal to address the migration crisis that Angela Merkel earlier this week warned “could end up determining Europe’s destiny”.
Following a gruelling nine hours of “often stormy” overnight talks in Brussels on Thursday, leaders agreed on a tentative plan of action that will create secure processing centres across Europe, Reuters reports.
Would-be asylum seekers whose claims are rejected will be deported, while those accepted as genuine refugees will be resettled by EU states on a voluntary basis.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Other agreements reached at Thursday’s summit include a deal on shared responsibility for migrants rescued at sea, another of Italy’s key demands.
Countries that function as key transit points on human smuggling routes into Europe, such as Turkey and Morocco, will also receive extra funding to strengthen their borders.
Many of the finer details of the deal, such as where the processing centres will be located or how countries will share the burden of resettlement, remain vague.
But even a vague agreement is a better-than-expected outcome for a summit that European Council President Donald Tusk himself admitted was “incredibly heated”.
“Diplomats described a tense, tortured meeting with small groups of leaders huddled together in a desperate bid to break the deadlock,” HuffPost reports.
Although the number of migrants seeking refuge in Europe has slowed dramatically since peaking in 2015, the issue remains deeply divisive.
The influx of migrants has exposed economic, social and political tensions that run deeper than the current crisis, says the BBC’s Katya Adler.
Northern European nations suspect their poorer neighbours to the south and east of turning a blind eye to migrants passing through en route to wealthier countries, while “Italy and Greece smoulder with resentment at having been left alone to deal with migrant arrivals”.
Italy’s new prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has said that calls for migrants to be processed in the first EU country that they arrive in put an unfair burden on his nation. Prior to the summit, he vowed to veto any prospective deal that did not alleviate Italy’s burden.
However, proposals to distribute asylum seekers proportionally among member states have been met with point-blank refusal by nationalist governments in central and eastern Europe.
Emerging from the talks at 5am local time, Merkel - who has faced intense pressure at home to take a harder line on migration - sought to assure reporters that the tentative deal was a “good signal” of cooperation among member states.
EU leaders now have “a lot of work to do to bridge the different views”, she acknowledged.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The history of Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories
The Explainer How the 2024 Republican nominee has consistently stoked baseless fears of a stolen election
By David Faris Published
-
Two ancient cities have been discovered along the Silk Road
Under the radar The discovery changed what was known about the old trade route
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
'People shouldn't have to share the road with impaired drivers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The Vietnamese migrants crossing the Channel
The Explainer 2024 has seen a surge in the numbers of Vietnamese migrants making the illegal passage into the UK
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published