Italy blocks agreement at the EU summit until the migration demands

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister refused to Approving a European summit on Thursday, declaring Giuseppe Conte's decision, which is taking part in its first European summit, has surprised other leaders and forced summit president Donald Tusk and European Commission president Jean . -Claude Juncker cancels a press conference scheduled for Thursday evening

"As one member reserved his position on the overall findings, no conclusions have been agreed at this stage," said a door of Tusk

. head of a new Eurosceptic government that includes the 5-star anti-establishment movement and the far-right League, demands that other EU states share the costs and He intervened after the leaders had held talks on a range of issues ranging from security and defense to employment, growth and competitiveness. Normally, they would publish pre-prepared conclusions once the discussion is over.

But the intervention of Conte, before a dinner where the controversial issue of migrations must be discussed, prevented that.

"We still hope that Conte He felt obliged to stir up a mess and at the end of the day he will come back in the line, but he is far from certain," said a diplomat EU

HORRIBLE SIGNAL

If unresolved, the line would send a horrible signal on the EU unit at the moment when US President Donald Trump badails the bloc on trade and commerce. Fighting to cope with the legacy of its 2015 crisis, which has seen more than one million refugees and migrants enter Europe.

It is particularly dangerous for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the EU's oldest leader, who is under intense pressure from her conservative allies in Bavaria to reach an agreement on migration in Brussels.

If it fails, the Christian Social Union (CSU) threatens to This could trigger the collapse of Merkel's government for three months and make sure that the Schengen Free Trade Area of ​​the EU collapse, putting business, trade and many cross-border jobs among the 500 million EU citizens. "Europe is facing many challenges, but that of migration could become a challenge for the EU," Merkel said in a speech to parliament before traveling to Brussels.

Germany's borders with more than one million refugees have divided Europe and continue to haunt her at home, even though arrivals have declined sharply

According to data from United Nations, fewer than 45,000 migrants joined the European Union this year. A thousand others died while trying to cross the Mediterranean.

According to the draft conclusions circulated before the two-day summit, leaders agreed to strengthen Europe's external borders, to better combat illegal immigration and to intensify co-operation . They had to give more money to Syrian refugees in Turkey and to migration projects in Africa, and consider signing an agreement with Morocco to reverse a recent rise in arrivals to Spain.

But the EU remains deeply divided over how to treat asylum seekers, former communist ex-communists led by Poland and Hungary refusing to accept some of the newcomers to ease the burden on Italy and Greece. 19659003] A migration agreement between the 28 EU states is unrealistic, and Angela Merkel advocates for a "volunteer coalition" on migration. She hopes this will appease the UHC, which is hardening its line before the autumn elections in its original region, Bavaria, the main German entry point for migrants.

Convincing Italy to complete a deal could be the biggest challenge. Tale rejected all movements that would allow him to deal with more people.

Currently, most of those caught by lifeboats in the Mediterranean land in Italy. But in recent days, Rome has refused to let two of these boats with hundreds of people on board because Conte wants other coastal countries to take it too.

(Report by Philip Blenkinsop, Robert-Jan Bartunek, Alissa de Carbonnel, Robin Emmott, Jan Strupczewski, Noah Barkin, Richard Lough, Jean-Baptiste Vey, Elisabeth Piper, Andreas Rinke, Peter Maushagen and Gabriela Baczynska, written by Noah Barkin and Gabriela Baczynska, edited by David Stamp, William Maclean)

The story was not edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by self-feeding.