EU Leaders Meet To Discuss Migration, Enlargement

The European Union’s 27 national leaders are meeting today to look for ways to avoid a new migration crisis and address a longer-term existential challenge of bringing into their bloc new countries, potentially as big and troubled as Ukraine.

Italy and Spain have voiced concern over irregular immigration increasing this year to their islands, while Greek waters in June were the site of Europe’s deadliest shipwreck in years, one that killed hundreds of migrants.

Germany, the preferred destination country for many of the migrants reaching Europe, has introduced border checks, saying they are needed to crack down on smugglers bringing people to its territory.

That decision came after Germany reported a nearly 80% rise in asylum requests so far this year, a concern for the center-left ruling coalition facing a challenge from the far-right in local elections in Bavaria on Oct. 8.

Warsaw refuses to host new arrivals from the Middle East and Africa, although Poland has given shelter to several million Ukrainians who fled Russia’s invasion.

Other central and eastern EU countries have also put up border controls inside what is normally a zone of open travel, citing the need to crack down on people smugglers and migrants who avoid regular border crossings and arrival procedures.

However, the matter is politically sensitive and anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are on the rise in some EU countries ahead of continent-wide European Parliament elections next June.

Aljazeera