Draft conclusions for a European Council Summit, which begins on June 28, propose the creation of migrant processing centers outside the bloc, in a bid to break the deadlock on migration policy threatening EU integration.
In the draft document, European Council President Donald Tusk proposes that EU member states create “regional disembarkation platforms” outside the European Union, where asylum requests would be assessed before claimants get to Europe.
“Such platforms should provide for rapid processing to distinguish between economic migrants and those in need of international protection,” the draft joint statement reads, “and reduce the incentive to embark on perilous journeys.”
The proposal is widely seen as an attempt to bridge the rift over migration and asylum ahead of the two-day EU summit, where leaders will try to agree to a joint migration policy.
France, Germany, Italy, Austria and other EU states will meet on Sunday to try and hammer out their differences and avert a possible clash during the summit.
Greece and Bulgaria are also expected to attend Sunday’s gathering, which will explore the problem of secondary movements—i.e., how to stem the tide of migrants unlawfully moving around the European Union after claiming asylum.
In addition to the proposed offshore asylum centers, the draft joint statement also calls for more work to prevent secondary movements.
