PV International Desk : European Union leaders have reached an agreement on migration after marathon talks at a summit in Brussels.
Italy – the entry point for thousands of migrants, mainly from Africa – had threatened to veto the conclusions of the entire agenda if it did not receive help on the issue.
In a compromise, new migrant centres are to be set up in EU countries on a “voluntary” basis.
They would determine who are “irregular migrants, who will be returned”.
The relocation and resettlement of genuine refugees would also take place on a voluntary basis, the agreement says.
However, it was unclear which countries would host the centres or receive refugees.
The joint communique also speaks of restricting the movement of asylum seekers between EU states.
“After this European summit, Europe is more responsible and offers more solidarity,” said Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. “Today Italy is no longer alone.”
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said more needed to be done to resolve disagreements.
In addition to the migrant processing centres, hosted by EU members on a voluntary basis, the 28 EU leaders also agreed several other measures:
