EU President Donald Tusk has cautiously welcomed a new deal on migration, reached after all-night talks at a summit in Brussels.
But he told journalists it was “far too early to talk about a success” and said making an agreement was easy “compared to what awaits us on the ground”.
Under the deal, new secure centres for migrants may be set up in EU states to process asylum claims.
Economic migrants whose claims are rejected would be “returned”.
Those judged to be genuine refugees would be resettled, however.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron was quick to praise the deal, calling it “a choice of co-operation” that would help to manage Europe’s migrant influx.
Other leaders were more circumspect – among them German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who called it “a step in the right direction” but said more must be done to resolve disagreements.
Who gets what from the deal?
The deal is being billed as a lifeline for Mrs Merkel, who has faced a political crisis at home with the potential to bring down her government.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, from her Bavarian coalition partner the CSU, warned the Chancellor that unless she secured a deal to return many asylum seekers, he would start turning away migrants who have already registered elsewhere.
Spain and Greece have now agreed to take back migrants who were registered in their countries but travelled on to Germany, the German government confirmed on Friday.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte quickly distanced himself from that position, vowing that Italy would not take any migrants back from Germany, and that he “did not undersign any specific agreement” on the issue.
Mr Conte had earlier taken the rare step of blocking the conclusions of the joint communiqué until the leaders had settled the migration issue.
He struck a positive note as the two-day gathering came to a close, saying: “After this European summit, Europe is more responsible and offers more solidarity. Today, Italy is no longer alone.”
Strengthening external border controls, and boosting financing for Turkey and countries in North Africa.
Exploring the possibility of “regional disembarkation platforms”, aimed at breaking the business model of people-smuggling gangs by processing refugees and migrants outside the EU. However, getting North African countries to host such centres could be very difficult and Morocco again on Thursday rejected the idea.
Internal measures taken by member states to stop migrants moving within the EU, which the agreement said undermined asylum policy and the border-free Schengen travel area.
More investment in Africa to help the continent achieve a “substantial socio-economic transformation” so people no longer leave for a better life.
Further work to reform EU asylum policy, including changes to the so-called Dublin regulation under which migrants must be considered for asylum in the first safe country where they arrive.
Where will the migrant centres be built?
Paris and Rome have already clashed over this question.
The controlled centres are meant be set up by EU states on a voluntary basis, but there are no details on which nations might host them or take in refugees.
Mr Macron said the centres would be in countries where migrants initially arrive in the EU, and said France would not have any as it is “not a country of first arrival”.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz took the same view, declaring that “we are not a first arrival country, unless people jump from parachutes”.
Italy – which is the entry point for thousands of migrants, mainly from Africa, and wants other countries to share its burden – rejected that interpretation.
Mr Conte told reporters – “Macron was tired. I deny what he said.”
He said all EU states would be able to establish the centres, “including France”.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte took issue with France’s President Macron over the specifics of the deal
According to the European Council, the number of people illegally entering the EU has dropped 96% since its 2015 peak.
Reality Check: Is Italy taking in thousands of migrants?
About 56,000 migrants have arrived in Europe so far this year, the International Organization for Migration says, compared to more than a million in 2015.
However, several Central European states have so far rejected an EU scheme to relocate 160,000 refugees from overcrowded camps in Greece and Italy, raising tensions – and recent rows over the fate of migrants rescued at sea have exacerbated the issue.
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Source: BBC
