*** modified Friday 27 October ***
Europe’s leaders will once again discuss, on Thursday 26 October, migration, and in particular its external dimension.
While some leaders might try to include in the final text conclusions linking the recent terrorist attacks and migration via the issue of the return of people refused asylum in the EU, the latest text of conclusions on 25 October continued to separate the two subjects.
On the internal aspects of migration, namely the Pact on Migration and Asylum, European leaders are expected to call for the rapid adoption of all the texts now in trilogue.
As far as the external dimension is concerned, they will continue to advocate new partnerships with third countries, and will also call for the agreement sealed with Tunisia in July to be implemented effectively, according to a source at the Élysée Palace. This means thinking about partnerships with other players in the region, with the European Commission already mentioning Egypt, but also Jordan and Lebanon.
According to one source, however, this discussion will not lead to “concrete results”. The leaders had already held a debate on migration at the Granada Summit in early October.
Targeted actions on returns
In a letter sent in advance to the EU27, the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, took stock of her institution’s work with third countries and the projects it intends to launch in the coming months, including a new roadmap on returns.
The Commission will propose targeted return actions to the Member States, with one country taking the lead or Frontex. At the end of July, 290,000 return decisions had been made in the EU, and only 22% of them had been implemented, the President points out in her letter.
The President is also announcing new legislative initiatives on human trafficking and the fight against people smugglers for the end of November.
Attacks in Belgium and in France
The latest draft conclusions state that “the European Council strongly condemns the recent terrorist attacks in France and Belgium, which killed and injured Swedish and French citizens. The European Union is united and firm in the fight against terrorism, hatred and violent extremism in all its forms. The European Council invites the institutions and the Member States to make a concerted effort to mobilise all relevant areas of action at national and EU level in order to improve internal security, in particular by strengthening cooperation between law enforcement authorities, the exchange of information through the full use of relevant databases, the protection of external borders, the fight against smugglers and close cooperation with third countries”.
See the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/994
See the European Council's draft conclusions of October 24: https://aeur.eu/f/99d (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with the editorial staff)