The Leaders’ Summit is known as one of the most important decision-making mechanisms of the European Union (EU). At this summit, the heads of state and government of the member states come together to determine the political, economic and social agenda of Europe. In particular, issues such as global problems, security, economy and foreign policy are discussed at these meetings. The last summit, which took place in Brussels on October 17, 2024, was held at a critical time in terms of the internal dynamics of the union and international relations. At this summit, where important views were taken on the future of the EU, cooperation between the members of the union and relations with the outside world, a roadmap was drawn for the challenges that Europe faces.
At the EU Leaders’ Summit, the issue of migration stood out as one of the most important topics on the leaders’ agenda. Migration has come to the fore again, especially with the success of far-right parties in the elections. While EU countries argue that stricter policies should be adopted regarding the deportation of illegal immigrants, they also emphasized that these policies will take time to be implemented. Germany has tightened its immigration laws and reinstated border controls. Countries such as Poland and Finland have defined immigrants coming from Belarus and Russia as hybrid warfare tools and demanded a common stance against their use as a weapon against the EU.[i] Italy has adopted a new approach by opening immigration processing centers in Albania. Although the issue of migration is progressing at lower numbers compared to the migration crisis experienced in 2015, it has continued to be a very sensitive issue among the 27 EU members.
Migration policies have been made stricter compared to the migration crisis in 2015 and new approaches called “Fortress Europe” have been adopted.[ii] Countries such as Poland, Italy and Germany have increased border controls. The far-right’s rise in the EU Parliament and German elections has further intensified the debate on immigration. The fact that the Migration Pact will not be fully implemented until 2026 has put the EU in a difficult transition period. Large countries such as France have re-introduced border controls in an attempt to control public reactions. On the other hand, the European Commission’s U-turn policy of sending migrants to “return centers” outside the EU has been met with serious criticism in some countries due to human rights violations and high costs.[iii]
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s call to “limit the flow of refugees and encourage their return” implied that this process would be difficult and could be carried out through trial and error. However, the Netherlands’ plan to send African migrants to Uganda,[iv] has revealed how complex and multi-layered migration management is. In contrast, far-right leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have criticized the bureaucrats in Brussels and negative economic policies, and have used harsh rhetoric against the current regulations in the EU.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for a speed-up of the migration system and defended the external migration centers set up by Italy in Albania as an “innovative” solution. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, on the other hand, demanded the suspension of asylum rights, claiming that Russia and Belarus were using migrants to create a crisis against the EU.[v]
Poland’s request to suspend asylum for migrants coming from Belarus was interpreted as a step against the EU’s fundamental rights charter, and the efforts to find innovative solutions to such issues at the summit sparked a broader debate. In particular, the increasingly radical efforts to stop migration have also increased concerns about human rights. The contradiction between the aging European population in need of migrants and the political pressures trying to limit the flow of migrants has also drawn attention. Consequently, EU countries have continued to experience deep divisions on this issue, and no concrete decision has emerged from the summit.
In addition, before the summit, the Patriots for Europe group, one of the right-wing groups in the European Parliament, came together for the first time and discussed the issue of migration. At the meeting, Geert Wilders and Viktor Orbán, who were among the leaders of the group, harshly criticized the European Union’s migration policies. The group’s chairman, Gerolf Annemans, said that the current migration agreement was being imposed on member states before the elections and that this agreement was no longer valid.[vi] Annemans said that they aim to start a new migration period and expect this issue to be on the agenda of the European Council. One of the most striking points of the meeting was the attitudes of right-wing groups on migration policies and the possible effects of these attitudes on the future of Europe. It was emphasized that the acceptance of immigrants, return processes and common policies of Europe should be reviewed. It is a matter of curiosity how the influence of right-wing parties will be shaped in this process and what kind of a mark this situation will leave on the future of Europe.
The Leaders’ Summit highlighted the deepening problems in Europe’s migration policies and the influence of right-wing parties on the issue. The rise of the far-right and anti-immigrant rhetoric have been the driving force behind these policies. Leaders discussed plans to speed up the deportation of migrants and process asylum applications in countries outside the EU. The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Denmark highlighted changing attitudes in Europe.
The main options being discussed at the EU level are to move the problem beyond EU borders. This includes methods such as establishing centers to assess migrants’ applications outside the EU. Initiatives such as Italy’s agreement with Albania are considered to be applicable across the EU, but some countries question whether such centers are legal in terms of human rights. On the other hand, although the EU’s new migration and asylum pact is about to come into force, many countries believe it is not tough enough. Countries with high levels of populism, such as Poland and Hungary, have requested to be exempted from the agreement. While the EU has a goal of toughening migration policies and increasing return rates, major differences and divisions between member states remain.
As a result, the European Union’s migration policies are becoming harsher with rising right-wing populism and anti-immigrant rhetoric. Although deep disagreements among member states make it difficult to find a common solution, radical steps such as increasing border controls and processing migrants in external centers have been put on the agenda. Unilateral measures by countries such as Germany, Poland and Italy threaten the EU’s principle of free movement, and the consequences of these policies in terms of human rights are uncertain. As the EU continues to seek to establish a more robust system for managing migration, national solutions will continue to prevail in the short term.
[i] Jan Strupczewski, “EU leaders focus on migration, Poland points to its ‘weaponisation’”, Reuters, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-leaders-focus-migration-poland-point-its-weaponisation-2024-10-17/, (Date of Access: 17.10.2024).
[ii] Raf Casert And Mıke Corder, “The EU thought it had a new migration plan. But many leaders say it may be too little, too late”, AP News, https://apnews.com/article/eu-migration-summit-poland-italy-asylum-border-1990ce969d18584c3b210d614a233a74, (Date of Access 17.10.2024).
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Jon Henley, “Why immigration is back on the European Union’s agenda”, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/17/why-immigration-back-european-union-agenda-far-right, (Date of Access 17.10.2024).
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Amandine Hess, “Radical, populist, extreme, nationalist: How should we be talking about the far right?”, Euronews, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/10/17/radical-populist-extreme-nationalist-how-should-we-be-talking-about-the-fa-right, (Date of Access 17.10.2024).
