As the European Council meeting draws into its second day, where notably eurozone reforms and Brexit are on the agenda, EU leaders struck a hard-fought deal yesterday on migration already. Apart from strengthening the EU's external borders, they also agreed in a 12-point plan - in a concession to Italy - to establish regional disembarkation platforms for people saved at sea. Migrants should be shared across the EU territory on a voluntary basis and transferred to 'controlled centres' across the bloc for rapid and secure processing of asylum claims. A distinction would be made between irregular/economic migrants earmarked for return and those in need of international protection, for whom the principle of solidarity would apply
Although the deal is a first step in the right direction and even Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signalled satisfaction with it, open questions abound: how many countries would actually be willing to establish these 'controlled centres' on a voluntary basis? Where would successful and failed asylum claimants be sent afterwards? How will the reform of the Dublin Regulation and establishment of a new Common European Asylum System be spelled out? Austria - which has an anti-immigrant government already - will take over the presidency of the EU Council from 1 July. Focus on asylum and migration issues and protection of external borders will remain a hot topic in the meantime
A viable European solution to migration was particularly important for German chancellor Angela Merkel , who is approaching a weekend ultimatum set by her CSU coalition partner. The agreement includes only a small paragraph on the issue of secondary movements of asylum seekers, calling on members to take all necessary 'internal legislative and administrative measures' to counter movements of asylum seekers across borders.
The key question is whether this vague formulation will be enough for the CSU to relinquish its plan of sending back already-registered asylum seekers at the German border , triggering repercussions for other EU countries such as Austria and Italy. If it does not satisfy the CSU, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has the power to move ahead unilaterally with his plan of turning away migrants at the border. This would put Merkel in a tight position, where she might feel pressured to relieve Seehofer of his duties for his open defiance. In this case, it is difficult to imagine the CSU remaining part of the German governing coalition. This would leave the CDU/SPD coalition two seats short of a majority in parliament.
A breakdown of the German government is clearly not in the CSUs interest, but it has also manoeuvred itself into a tight corner. Budging from its flagship migration policy would cost it dearly in the upcoming Bavarian state election in October, where the anti-immigrant AfD party is its biggest rival. The CSU is on track to suffer a significant decline in the vote in October, compared with the 47.7% it won in the last state election five years ago, and it may lose its absolute majority of seats. That said, the CSU's ultimatum approach is not without risks: according to an Infratest Dimap poll, 75% of Germans favour
a European solution to migration, compared to 22% for a national one. Should the CSU steer Germany into a political crisis, it could also result in a strong voter backlash in the state election.
To read the entire report Please click on the pdf File Below: