European leaders discuss migrant crisis at summit

BRUSSELS, (Patria) - A two-day summit of EU leaders begins today in Brussels, where the migrant crisis is expected to be the main topic, after questions were raised about who should take responsibility for accommodating migrants.

The EU is concerned about the emergence of a new migrant route through the Balkans, from Greece, via Albania, Montenegro, and BiH, after Austria and Germany changed their policies regarding the arrival of new migrants, writes Al Jazeera.

During the two-day summit in Brussels, EU leaders will focus on migration, security, and defense issues, as well as economic and financial matters.

AP reports that during the upcoming summit, everything agreed upon on June 24 will be re-examined, when the idea of checking asylum seekers in Europe in North Africa and the Balkans received the support of several EU leaders.

Encouraged by the agreement with Turkey, which has reduced the influx of migrants by 97 percent since 2015, EU member states are ready to give the green light for opening screening centers in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Niger, and Tunisia, and the possibility of establishing reception centers in Albania is also being considered.

The new populist government of Italy has stopped accepting new migrants arriving from Africa, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel is under pressure to persuade Italy to accept migrants who came to Germany from this country, AFP reported.

The American agency Bloomberg announced that European leaders are expected to also touch upon the topic of the possibility of Macedonia and Albania joining the EU.

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev is facing opposition from some citizens to the new name of the country, which was agreed upon earlier this month, resolving the long-standing dispute with Greece.

During the summit, European leaders are expected to discuss the eurozone reforms proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Regarding trade, EU leaders are expected to support reciprocal steps against the US after the introduction of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and they will also support a lawsuit against the US at the World Trade Organization.

Regarding Brexit, no major progress is expected due to disagreements within the British government itself on the next steps.