It is fairly typical of the European Union that its summit on Thursday focussed primarily on supporting foreign powers, with leaders concerned about their own nations’ interests covered in slime, and that discussions on home affairs were hardly supposed to take place at all.
Yet some more clued-up officials ensured that one of the most pressing issues for European citizens, migration, was dealt with regardless.
Key among them was Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who stressed the need for “innovative solutions to be applied to the management of the migration phenomenon and, in particular, to the strengthening of the legal framework on returns.”
Due importanti incontri oggi presso la sede della delegazione italiana a Bruxelles a margine del Consiglio Europeo, sui temi della competitività e delle migrazioni.
Questa mattina ho incontrato il Cancelliere tedesco Merz e il Primo Ministro belga De Wever per uno scambio di… pic.twitter.com/3buUGIT6VA
The Italian prime minister was joined in leading discussions by Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, with whom she is also working to update the more-than-seven-decade-old European Convention of Human Rights, and Rob Jetten of the Netherlands. Figures from 13 member states, including Hungary, Sweden and Germany, and the European Commission joined the meeting. Meloni said these are the states “most interested in the topic” of securing borders.
The significance of this matter has become ever more clear since the beginning of the war in Iran, given fears the conflict could trigger a new migrant crisis for Europe.
As a result of the meeting, conclusions from the European Council on the Middle East noted “the importance of maintaining a high level of vigilance [on migratory flows] and ensuring the necessary level of preparedness, based on the tools and policies that the EU developed over the past years.”
On the basis of the lessons learned from the 2015 migration crisis and to avoid a similar situation, the EU is ready to fully mobilise its diplomatic, legal, operational and financial tools to prevent uncontrolled migratory movements to the EU and preserve security in Europe. The security and the control of the European Union’s external borders will continue to be strengthened.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said the bloc is “better equipped” than it was before the 2015 crisis. But Meloni and her colleagues will surely have to work hard to ensure that these words translate into action.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
