European Leaders Fail to Bridge Divisions Over Fate of Migrants
German Chancellor Angela Merkel still seeking reprieve from political woes at home
Migrants, part of a group intercepted aboard a dinghy off the coast in the Mediterranean Sea, stand on a rescue boat upon arrival at the port of Malaga, Spain last week.
Photo: jon nazca/Reuters
Valentina Pop
@ValentinaPop
valentina.pop@wsj.com
Updated June 24, 2018 7:11 pm ET
European leaders on Sunday failed to reach a deal on a new approach to immigration, as German leader Angela Merkelfights for her political life.
Under pressure over an open-door policy which brought over 1 million migrants to Germany over the past three years, Ms. Merkel is seeking to limit the number of migrants entering the country, renewing tensions over who should take in refugees.
Ms. Merkel said an emergency meeting Sunday among 16 EU leaders was good but that differences remain. "Traffickers and refugees cannot choose in which EU countries they file for asylum," she said.
Heading into the meeting, she said she sought arrangements with other EU countries to address the migration issue. Germany's goal is to return some of the migrants who arrived in Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Italy, according to European diplomats.
But Italy's new nationalist government, which has pledged to stop mass migration to the country, refused such a deal. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte declared himself "definitely satisfied" with the outcome of the meeting.