The President of the European Council, Charles Michel made a statement on immigration, after it was not possible for the European Council to adopt conclusions, following the veto of Hungary and Poland.

“We discussed the external aspect of immigration, which only the 25 EU countries supported and not the 27“, said Charles Michel, shortly after the conclusion of the work of the Summit.

He explained that Poland and Hungary did not support the conclusions on the external dimension of migration, due to the process by which the decision to reform the Asylum and Migration Pact was taken at the beginning of June.

“Immigration is a common challenge that requires a European response”, said the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during the press conference. She also emphasized that the position achieved by the Council of the EU at the beginning June on the reform of the Migration and Asylum Pact is very important and now the negotiation with the European Parliament begins.

Regarding the objectives for the external aspect of migration, Ursula von der Leyen, particularly emphasized the need to crack down on illegal traffickers, the need to develop partnerships with third countries with a “holistic approach” that would include investments in energy and education and more generally, the need to have clear alternative-legal paths to the EU.

Specifically, in the statement issued by the President of the European Council, it is noted that “Poland and Hungary stated that, in the context of the ongoing work on the Pact on Migration and Asylum, in line with the previous European Council conclusions of December 2016, June 2018 and June 2019, there is a need to find consensus on an effective immigration and asylum policy».

It is also noted that “in the context of solidarity measures, relocation and resettlement should be done on a voluntary basis” and that “all forms of solidarity should be considered equally valid and not serve as a potential attraction factor for irregular migration».

Charles Michel’s statement then states the following:

“The European Council expresses its deep sadness at the terrible loss of life as a result of the recent tragedy in the Mediterranean. The EU remains committed to cracking down on the business model of traffickers and smuggling networks, including instrumentalisation, and tackling the root causes of irregular of migration to better manage migration flows and prevent such dangerous journeys from starting”.

The statement also points out that “migration is a European challenge that requires a European response».

In particular, it is stated that “the migration situation at the EU’s external borders and within the EU was thoroughly reviewed and the work done so far in the context of a European response” is noted, in particular with regard to the conclusions of 9 February 2023, with emphasis on the external aspects of migration and their financing mechanisms.