The European Union comes back again and again practically back to square one on the issue of migrationand the issue will once again be key at the summit of leaders of the 27 that is held this Thursday in Brussels, along with, of course, the current situation in the Middle East. For now, the heads of State and Government will debate “the substance” of all the issues, with Ukraine also in the background, after two meetings with little progress. It is also the last summit planned before, if all goes well, The next European Commission will begin operating in December.
In fact, President Ursula von der Leyen has been the one who has opened the ban regarding the migration situation. And in a letter sent to the countries, he proposes looking for “imaginative solutions” to manage the crisis, including the construction of migrant detention centers outside the EU, replicating the model that Italy has agreed with Albania and that is already in operation with the arrival these days of the first ship. Thus, Von der Leyen willingly accepts the ‘Meloni model’, which Viktor Orbán and parties like Vox have also defended for some time, among others.
This line follows the path already marked by fourteen Member States, including France and Germany, but not Spain, who call for concrete plans to “accelerate expulsions. In the words of Orbán last week in the European Parliament, “the only immigration that does not stay is the one that does not enter.” Now, the practice is much more complex and the European Commission clarifies that it would not be an immediate option, because current legislation does not allow it. “Currently it is not possible in the European Union to have that option”said the community spokesperson for the Interior and Migration, Anitta Hipper, at a press conference in Brussels, before confirming that in order to implement this type of centers the bloc “would first need to regulate the forced return of migrants to a country other than their own. origin”.
Such is the situation that Meloni herself has called a parallel meeting moments before the summit which the leaders of Denmark and the Netherlands will attend, along with Von der Leyen herselfto deal with the issue of the centers. The measure, according to the Italian Government, is already accepted by a total of 15 Member States.
And what does Spain say? The Government does not want temporary solutions, and is open to negotiating the proposals that be put on the table during the summit, but warns that the key is for the common pact on migration and asylum to come into force, which was going to begin operating in 2026. This is what Pedro Sánchez has already requested and it is another of the ideas that Ursula von der Leyen handles. “The approach must be comprehensive,” they maintain from the Spanish Executive, which does not want to talk about “vetoes” on the immigration issue. Nor does it value increasing border control, something that other member states such as Germany or Sweden have done. They are clear in Moncloa, yes, that as stated in the agreement to 27, communications with third countries “both of origin and transit” have to be fundamental.
The agreements with third countries have been a key pillar for Brussels in recent timesalthough some of them, such as the one reached with Tunisia (or the one signed with Türkiye in 2015) were the subject of harsh criticism. But Von der Leyen continues on that premise with the idea, he says, of “help those seeking asylum without having to embark on dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean.” Thus, this will be a priority for the new commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica, during the current legislature. The debate, yes, is perhaps the most polarizing for the EU, also with a European Parliament much more divided than in other decades.
Middle East will also mark the agenda for these two days, with the still lack of major consensus… which does not seem to be arriving in the short term in a scenario marked by Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel and those of Tel Aviv in Lebanon, especially those he has carried out against the blue helmets. The international denunciation is total, but it does not seem to open the door to major changes in the position of the 27. Yes, there is an agreement that there must be a ceasefire; although that request, on both the Hamas and Israeli sides, has fallen on deaf ears.
Self-defense, of course, means not only attacking terrorists, but destroying them.
Germany, in this context, maintains its closed support for Israel, while Spain and Ireland are influencing a request that remains in limbo: the review of the Association Agreement between Israel and the European Union. Sánchez will once again ask at the summit to study the possibility of suspending it while the conflict in the Middle East lasts. Ursula von der Leyen, who is the one who has to study the possibility, has not given rise to this debate amidst criticism not only from some capitals but also from other institutions such as the European External Action Service, which has asked for greater speed.
“Self-defense, of course, It means not only attacking terrorists, but destroying them. That’s why I made it so clear that when Hamas terrorists hide behind people, behind schools, then we enter into very difficult questions, but we do not cower“, noted the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, when speaking about the attacks on the UNIFIL base in Lebanon, in an approach that is not shared by Madrid, Dublin, or other member states such as Malta or Slovakia. In fact, the complaint The most resounding came from the mouth of the High Representative, Josep Borrell.
In a week in which the first summit between the EU and the Gulf countries is also being held, Spain wants to take the lead with other points such as the need to hold a Peace Conference between Israel and Palestine. It is a medium and long-term idea that has the yes of many countries, but for now it is not viable: it is the ‘ideal’ solution for the conflict in addition to the recognition of the two States. Moncloa will launch that plan again, aware that a conclusion will not be reached in the coming weeks.
In a second step, the leaders of the EU They will discuss the situation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The EU affirms its commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, based on the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law,” they added in the previous statement. Regarding military support, The 27 will review progress in the supply of air defense systems, ammunition and missilesas well as assistance measures within the framework of the European Peace Support Fund and bilateral assistance to kyiv.
All in all, this seems to aim to be a summit with one objective: try to unclog two of the most stuck issues for the block community. Competitiveness and climate change will also be objects of conversation, but reality cannot be denied. The EU will once again consider issues that it seems it will never abandon, precisely due to the lack of clear solutions. The summit will take a long time.
