Poland and Hungary oppose the overall reform of the asylum policy aimed at fairer burden sharing. Support for Ukraine was also discussed at the meeting.
BRUSSELS The leaders of the EU countries did not reach an agreement on the conclusions related to immigration in the negotiations that lasted into the morning in Brussels.
The background is Poland’s and Hungary’s dissatisfaction with the reform of the EU’s asylum policy. Discussions continue this morning.
– Let’s see if we can come to conclusions about it tomorrow, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (kok) stated when meeting Brussels journalists after the first day of the meeting.
Poland and Hungary oppose the reform of the EU’s asylum policy, which would increase the responsibilities between member states for receiving immigrants.
The countries also blocked the conclusions of the European Council regarding immigration.
Orpo: Europe must prepare
The draft conclusions seen by emphasize addressing the root causes of migration and human smuggling.
The conclusions also regret the accident that happened in the Mediterranean, which claimed the lives of hundreds of migrants.
Orpo hopes that EU leaders would find a common vision on how to reduce immigration pressure to Europe.
– I hope that solutions will be found tomorrow that specifically focus on what we could do to reduce immigration pressure to Europe.
Challenges related to immigration will not disappear by postponing decisions, Orpo states. According to him, it is important to make decisions so that the EU is better prepared if the number of migrants coming to Europe increases.
Clear conclusions about Ukraine
EU leaders also discussed increasing support for Ukraine. The Council’s conclusions emphasize the importance of long-term economic aid to Ukraine.
– The Union shows a strong comprehensive guarantee of security for Ukraine, as well as military aid, financial support, sanctions and long-term commitment, says Orpo.
EU leaders also heard the president to Volodymyr Zelensky and the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg assessments of the events of the past few days.
– There is a huge amount of speculation and estimates about the internal situation (in Russia), but no one can declare that this is the real truth, Orpo states.
The general assessment of the situation is that President Putin’s position has weakened, Orpo states. On the other hand, there are no signs that Russia’s will to win the war has diminished
– At the moment, nothing can be seen that would lead to believe that Russia’s ability or desire for wars has decreased, says Orpo.