The spotlights are turned off EU Council mainly dedicated to immigration. Who won and who lost in the light of the results and statements made by the 28 leaders meeting in Brussels? When the games are over, Emmanuel Macron's France assures that it will not host the new voluntary reception centers, Spain declines explaining that it already has centers on its territory and so the match ultimately remains in the hands of Giuseppe Conte who he warns that not even Italy will host them: "Italy has not given its availability". From the Council of 28 Heads of State and Government of the European Union no agreement is reached even with Angela Merkel on secondary movements. However, the Chancellor can breathe a sigh of relief for the narrow escape and cash in on the agreement with Greece and Spain. With political and practical sense, Merkel has at least made it clear that a pact with Rome is essential to save Schengen and to accept asylum seekers landed in Italy on a voluntary basis. And our country finds itself increasingly isolated, geographically and above all politically.
The synthesis of checks and balances within the Union, deeply torn internally, is in the summit document which leaves all doors open, sets general principles - such as the one, significant though it is that the reception of migrants is a problem that it must be managed collectively – but it does not say how to implement them concretely. And for this very reason the President of the European Council Donald Tusk is very cautious: "It is too early to talk about success" and Merkel comments: "There is still a lot of work to do".
So let's start again from here, from that text that says and does not say. The main points of the agreement, reported in the Conclusions signed after 13 hours of arm wrestling at night, concern support for Italy in Libya, the project for landing platforms in third countries which, however, has little chance of success given that the same countries Africans reject it, the 500 million for the trust fund for Africa and a call to NGOs. There is the release of the 3 billion refinancing to Türkiye. But the substance is all about the new landing and reception centers, which France precisely wants in Europe but only outside its borders.
ITALY AND FRANCE AT SHORTS
France, which must be recognized for the mediation effort - the photos show Conte and Macron busy writing a shared document to be submitted to the other leaders in the middle of the night - has obtained that the reception centers are voluntary and that they are located in Europe. Italy instead wanted them to be hypothesized in Africa and in any case outside the Union. Our country has managed to obtain - and Conte went as far as threatening to veto the conclusions of the summit - the political affirmation that the immigration emergency requires a shared approach among all 28 countries of the Union, that it is a challenge for all of Europe and which cannot be left only on the shoulders of the countries most geographically exposed to the landing of migrants.
But the clash is right here and there is no progress, far from it. “I consider myself 80% satisfied”, comments Conte warmly. However, his "friend Macron" immediately denied it: "The provisions of the Dublin Treaty remain in force: the countries of first entry, namely Italy and Spain in primis, will have to take charge of the landings and the management of migrants. France is not a country of first arrival”. Conte replies: “It was 5 in the morning, Macron was tired. As regards article 6, which refers to reception centers in the member states, nothing is imposed on anyone”. So not even to Italy, which slips away. The "friend Macron" and the "friend Conte", who appeared closer on the eve of the summit, instead find themselves distant: an open confrontation which was to some extent the figure of the summit and which will not be easy to mend.
ORBAN'S VETO
And the Germany? Angela Merkel faced the danger that reception obligations would be imposed. The generic commitment to counter the secondary movements of asylum seekers between one EU country and another has succeeded, the minimum necessary to face the threat raised by his Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, a Salvini from Bavaria ready to start the rejections and provoke a government crisis. The chancellor also managed to release the 3 billion for Turkey, intended to cover the costs of the agreement on migrants signed with the EU. Narrow escape, for now.
The countries of the Visegrad bloc (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) sing victory, led by the Hungarian Orban: «We accept only if we clearly write that everything is on a voluntary basis. And it must be specified that the Dublin reform must be approved unanimously, with no deadline". In practice, if the reform is ever implemented, they will be able to exercise their right of veto. Just as Italy did during the long night of negotiations in Brussels. But Europe cannot be built from veto to veto, nor will the problem of migrants being pushed at the borders be resolved. And Italy, if it really wants to change things, must find allies as it appears increasingly isolated.
