Still no agreement on migration at EU summit

On Friday, the second day of the EU summit, leaders of member states continue talks to hammer out the wording of the final documents on asylum and migration reforms. Several member states criticised Hungary and Poland for their rejection of the conclusions adopted by a majority of the Home Affairs Council in June.

EU-csúcs Brüsszelben Fotó: Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Fischer Zoltán

Petr Fiala said Poland and Hungary were also endangering Czech interests by blocking the leaders' agreement on migration. "Poland and Hungary reject virtually any text that mentions migration. I consider this unfortunate," the Czech prime minister told journalists before the start of the meeting, adding that those who think that the Czech government should cooperate with these two countries on this issue really do not know what they are talking about. He said that the Czech Republic wanted to expressly include in the Council's final declaration that financial support should be given to countries that take in a significant number of Ukrainian refugees, but Poland and Hungary are also threatening this.

Podařilo se nám přímo do závěrů Evropské rady dostat výzvu k větší finanční podpoře zemí, které se starají o ukrajinské uprchlíky. Postojem Polska a Maďarska, které přijetí závěru blokují, je toto ale ohrožené. pic.twitter.com/dwjcPkAsva

— Petr Fiala (@P_Fiala) June 30, 2023

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas argued that all countries should show a willingness to compromise on the contentious migration issue, while acknowledging that member states agree that the EU should focus on protecting its external borders. He said frustration from previous disputes was a barrier to agreement.

Taking into account the concerns of all member states, there is a spirit of compromise in the negotiating room, but perpetually saying "no" to everything is not going to work,

he stressed. 
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said that the summit would not end with unified conclusions on migration, with leaders opting for a separate statement by European Council President Charles Michel. He noted that this statement would stress the importance of working with non-EU countries to reduce migration to the EU - a position that enjoys broad support.

He pointed out that decisions on migration policy require a majority decision, however, Warsaw and Budapest still want unanimity on the issue. Hungary in particular is absolutely steadfast in this view and will, therefore not support any contrary conclusions, he added.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said Hungary and Poland calling into question the validity of an EU decision could set a dangerous legal precedent if member states eventually gave in.

Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins stressed that the European Union has confirmed the need to step up its defence capabilities. The debate on migration has made clear that the EU must focus on the external dimensions of migration and its root causes, while addressing the internal situation and strongly protecting EU external borders. Cooperation with partner countries should be enhanced to help stem the flow of migration to Europe, he said.

So far, we have focused on what to do with those who have already arrived in Europe. But now it's clear that we need to seek out how to slow and control migration inflows,

he said. Although the leaders of the member states have not yet finalised the chapter on migration in the final statement, there is agreement in the room that the greatest attention should be paid to where migration flows originate, he added.

There is broad consensus that 🇪🇺 needs to look at the migration’s external dimension:
▶️ to the root causes of migration;
▶️ work with partner countries;
▶️ strengthen the protection of #EU external borders. pic.twitter.com/DCT8CxzxBd

— Krišjānis Kariņš (@krisjaniskarins) June 30, 2023

It's not a big deal if leaders fail to reach an agreement today, said Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, adding that it won't change the deal the majority of EU interior ministers reached earlier this month.

Even if there is no agreement and the conclusions are not approved, progress on the migration and asylum pact has been made at the level of interior ministers under Sweden's presidency,

he pointed out.

At the Council meeting of EU interior ministers on 8 June, a majority of EU countries supported a proposal on the EU's new migration and asylum pact, which includes a mandatory solidarity mechanism to help frontline countries. The agreement requires member states to take in migrants from the countries under strong migratory pressure. Countries that refuse to host migrants will have to pay 20 thousand euros per person to the European Union.

Photo: PM Viktor Orban  (second from right)  on second day of 2-day summit of EU heads of state and government in Brussels on 30 June 2023 (Photo: MTI/PM's Press Office/Zoltan Fischer)