EU leaders meet for 'make or break' migration talks

BRUSSELS: EU leaders meet in Brussels for two days of talks on migration that German Chancellor Angela Merkel described as “make or break” for the union.

They will also discuss security, trans-Atlantic trade and their troubled ties with US President Donald Trump, economic sanctions on Russia, the bloc’s next long-term budget from 2021, the euro zone reform and Brexit, among others.

Below please find the leaders’ comments before the summit starts in Brussels later on Thursday.

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIUSEPPE CONTE

“As you know, Italy has worked on a proposal which it brings to this European Council, a proposal we believe is completely reasonable because it is in line with the spirit and the principle on which the European Union is based. Over all these years and in the meetings with the leaders of other member states, I have seen many expressions of solidarity. Today is a very important day. We hope these words will be translated into action. Italy no longer has a need for words and statements, we need concrete acts. This is the right occasion. From that point of view this meeting will be a watershed as far as we are concerned. And as far I am concerned I am willing to draw the needed consequences.”

POLISH PRIME MINISTER MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI

“The discussion is moving in the direction which we always have stressed it should move toward - namely more action regarding external EU borders ... and even more action in third countries which surround the EU because we want to provide the fishing rod not the fish, to motivate people to stay in places from which they migrate to the EU.”

“We push for action based on consensus, not imposed relocation. We are against imposed relocation. As regards secondary migration, Poland has tough asylum regulations and will stick to these tough asylum regulations. Poland’s sovereign policy on relocation must be maintained.

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON

“This summit will also be the place for an important discussion on immigration. This is not a new issue. Europe has been living with it since 2015. We all face a simple choice: do we want national solutions or do we believe in European solutions and cooperation? For my part, I will defend European solutions, in cooperation, in the European Union and under Schengen. We need cooperation under the current agreements that we have and to modernize them. There is work to do beyond Europe’s borders, on Europe’s borders and within Europe based on two principles: responsibility and solidarity.”

SLOVAKIAN PRIME MINISTER PETER PELLEGRINI

“The biggest priority in this moment is to protect our external border. First we have to start to do this and after that we can continue to discuss about was is happening inside the European Union.”

HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN

“The main issue is not migration, the issue is democracy in Europe ... it is about what the people believe, what should be done.”

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER PEDRO SANCHEZ

“What we need is a common response to a common challenge, which is migration and we have to combine responsibility with solidarity. Responsibility in order to control our frontiers, to intensify our foreign and external dimension of the migration policy. And solidarity also with regards to other countries especially Germany which is now suffering a political crisis.”

LUXEMBOURG PRIME MINISTER XAVIER BETTEL

“I think we have to discuss everything. If we have countries saying this and that is a red line we will never get an agreement. Legal immigration has to be the rule.”

“There are so many people who arrived in different countries and then made their way to Germany. I understand Germany says ‘Why do we have to deal with everything?’”

FINNISH PRIME MINISTER JUHA SIPILA

“We have practical problems (on secondary migration) in Finland and Finland is ready to cooperate with Germany.”

SPANISH PRIME MINISTER PEDRO SANCHEZ

“We will have a tete-a-tete meeting with Prime Minister May.... Will look forward to continue with the negotiations and with this constructive approach that the Spanish government is having.”

Question: Are you disappointed with slow progress on Brexit?

Answer: “No, I won’t say that. Absolutely not.”