The leaders of 16 countries survived the “frank talk” of an emergency meeting on immigration and emerged with a veneer of common purpose Sunday as the European Union enters a potentially vital week for its unity.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the meeting produced “a lot of goodwill” to resolve differences over how to manage the refugees and economic migrants who are willing to risk their lives to reach Europe.
The leaders of several more countries joined Italy and France in endorsing the idea of setting up centers in Africa to screen potential asylum-seekers for eligibility before they set out for another continent.
The talks were “frank and open,” but “we don’t have any concrete consequences or conclusions,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
The prevailing honesty and benevolence on display Sunday barely lower the stakes for a full EU summit opening Thursday. Four member countries in eastern Europe refused to take part in the meeting because of demands that they take in more asylum-seekers to ease the burden elsewhere.
New Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte presented a plan that argues existing EU asylum rules are obsolete and “paradoxical.” The current rules effectively mean migrants only can apply for asylum in the country where they first arrive, usually Italy or Greece.
Conte said his 10-point proposal would be a “paradigm shift” in how Europe approaches migration and that he was “decidedly satisfied” with the outcome of Sunday’s meeting.
“We have given the right direction for the debate underway. We’ll see each other…
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