BRUSSELS — European Union leaders, who will meet informally in Salzburg, Austria, on Wednesday, are to discuss the idea of organising an EU-Arab League summit in early 2019.
EU Council President Donald Tusk and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose country currently chairs the EU presidency, raised the idea during a meeting Sunday in Cairo with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi.
‘’We should also discuss the potential to step up cooperation with Egypt, including in the area of migration. It is worth recalling that the Egyptian authorities have made the fight against smuggling and trafficking their priority. As a result, there have been no irregular departures from Egypt to Europe this year, compared to almost 13 000 in 2016,’’ said Tusk in his invitation letter to the meeting sent to the 28 EU leaders.
The two-day EU leaders’ informal meeting will start Wednesday evening with an informal working dinner during which the issue of migration will be the main topic of discussion.
‘’During the summer, tensions among Member States resurfaced once again in connection with the influx of migrants to the EU,’’ noted Tusk, in a reference to Italy’s announced plan to curb immigration and asylum.
‘The quest to end the migration crisis is a common task of all the Member States and EU institutions. If some want to solve the crisis, while others want to use it, it will remain unsolvable. I am hoping that in Salzburg we will be able to put an end to the mutual resentment and return to a constructive approach. It is precisely this kind of approach that has brought about the desired effects in recent months: today, the influx of illegal migrants to the EU is back at pre-crisis levels,’’ he said.
On Thursda, the discussion will focus on collective efforts to ensure a high level of security in Europe : upgrade police and judicial cooperation, to strengthen border security and to ensure resilience in cyberspace.
During the meeting, British Prime Minister Theresa May will given the opportunity to address the issue of Brexit. EU Council President Tusk has raised the idea of convening a special summit on Brexit in November.
In his letter, Tusk said the heads of state and government would discuss the joint political declaration on the EU’s future relationship with the U.K, and that they should consider calling a November summit in Brussels in hopes of completing a withdrawal treaty.
He warned there was still a major risk of a no-deal Brexit. “Unfortunately, a no deal scenario is still quite possible. But if we all act responsibly, we can avoid a catastrophe,” he said.