Draft summit conclusions call for tighter border controls and warn against policies that encourage illegal arrivals.
Denmark, Italy and Poland are pressing European Union leaders to adopt a tougher approach to irregular migration, according to a draft of summit conclusions circulated before a meeting of the bloc’s 27 member states.
The proposal, supported by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, describes migration as a challenge for European societies and links irregular arrivals to crime rates.
The draft states that migration is a concern for many European citizens and can affect social cohesion. It also calls for tighter control of irregular arrivals and warns against policies that could encourage people to enter the EU illegally.
Migration was scheduled for discussion during a special session at Thursday’s European Council summit in Brussels. Meloni and Frederiksen had requested the meeting following a public dispute with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in June over the direction of EU migration policy.
Relations have since become more strained following a summer surge in migrant arrivals in Ceuta, the Spanish territory on the North African coast. The issue has also gained political significance as right-wing parties have strengthened their position in several European countries.
The proposed conclusions call on the European Commission to examine a consultation system that would improve coordination between member states when national policies could affect other EU countries. The draft also states that such coordination must respect the powers of individual national governments.
Although Spain is not named directly, the proposed mechanism comes against the backdrop of disagreements between Madrid and Rome over migration management. Sánchez and Meloni have clashed over Spain’s response to the arrivals in Ceuta and Madrid’s plans to grant legal status to around one million migrants.
A separate reference to the effects of migration on social housing was removed from the draft after concerns that the wording could be seen as a provocation directed at Spain.
The proposal is not expected to receive unanimous backing from all 27 leaders, according to an EU diplomat familiar with the discussions. The diplomat said the revised text was intended to reflect current political sentiment and encourage debate, rather than guarantee agreement on every point.
The negotiations reflect continuing divisions within the EU over how to manage irregular migration, coordinate national policies and balance border controls with the authority of individual member states.
With information from Politico.
