The 27 national leaders of the European Union (EU) will meet this Friday to seek ways to avoid a new migration crisis and address the long-term existential challenge of bringing new countries, potentially as large and complex as Ukraine, into the Union.
Italy and Spain have expressed concern about increased irregular immigration to their islands this year, while Greek waters in June were the scene of Europe’s deadliest shipwreck in years, killing hundreds of migrants.
Germany, the preferred destination country for many of the migrants arriving in Europe, has introduced border controls, saying the measure is needed to crack down on traffickers bringing people into its territory.
The decision comes after Germany reported a nearly 80% increase in asylum requests so far this year, worrying the centre-left ruling coalition which will face the far right in Bavaria’s local elections on 8 October.
Neighboring Poland will hold national elections a week later, on October 15.
The country refuses to welcome new arrivals from the Middle East and Africa, although it has given refuge to several million Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion.
Other central and eastern EU countries have also set up border controls within what is normally a free movement zone, citing the need to crack down on people smugglers and migrants who avoid regular border crossings and immigration procedures. entrance.
The top immigration official for the EU, a bloc home to 450 million people, said last week that there were 250,000 such arrivals in 2023, still far below 2015, when more than 1 million of people crossed the sea.
But the issue is politically sensitive and anti-immigration rhetoric and policies are on the rise in some EU countries ahead of the June 2024 European Parliament elections.
Meeting in Granada, Spain, the 27 leaders will also discuss the strategic path for the EU after years marked by crises, from the Covid-19 pandemic to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the 2022 energy crisis, and by challenges such as climate and economic rivalry with China.
Among the countries interested in joining the bloc are Ukraine, Moldova and some of the Western Balkans. They all have to meet several requirements to qualify, meaning negotiations for membership take years. In 2020, the UK became the first country to leave the bloc.
Source: Terra
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