Brussels: European Union countries sealed deal on how to handle irregular migration at times of exceptionally high arrivals, taking step towards overhauling bloc’s asylum and migration rules before pan-European election next year.

Envoys of bloc’s 27 member states reached agreement after overcoming latest spat between Italy and Germany over charity ships picking people up in sea as refugees and migrants from Middle East and Africa try to cross Mediterranean for Europe. 27 countries will now negotiate further with European Parliament.

They hope to have functioning migration system in place ahead of 2024 European Parliament election that takes place across union of some 450 million people. “Now we can move on with negotiations,” said Swedish Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard. “It is important to get pact in place, to ensure order at EU’s external borders and reduce flows.”

Under agreement, countries such as Italy that receive many Mediterranean arrivals could speed up asylum procedures and ask for swift help from EU peers, including financial aid and relocations.

EU has been seeking to reform its asylum system since more than million people reached its shores in 2015, catching bloc by surprise and overwhelming countries of first arrival such as Greece and Italy.

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 05 2023

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