During their meeting on Wednesday in Brussels, the ambassadors of the European Union countries reached an agreement on a main text to reform immigration policy in Europe, overcoming Italian reservations, before the bloc’s summit was held on Friday in Spain.

The law being discussed aims to coordinate a joint response in the event of a large influx of migrants into one of the European Union countries, as happened during the 2015-2016 refugee crisis, which allows in particular to extend the duration of the detention of migrants at the bloc’s external borders.

The text announced by the Spanish presidency of the bloc will now have to be negotiated with members of the European Parliament.

The text, the final part of the European Asylum and Migration Charter that requires approval by member states, has faced objections from Germany for several months, on humanitarian grounds.

A consensus was finally reached during a meeting of interior ministers at the end of September, making it possible to obtain Berlin's approval, but Italy then expressed its disapproval.

Its rejection focused on the role of non-governmental organizations in rescuing migrants, according to diplomatic sources, and Rome accuses Berlin of funding many non-governmental relief organizations in the Mediterranean, some of which fly the German flag.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni demanded last week that non-governmental organizations that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean disembark them in countries whose flags are raised on the ships they use.

The consensus adopted on Wednesday was supported by both Italy and Germany.

The European Commission and Spain, which holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, have expressed their confidence in the possibility of reaching an agreement before the informal European Council convenes on Friday in Granada (southern Spain). The pressing issue of migration will be at the heart of discussions by heads of state and government.

- Pressure from Parliament -

The impasse surrounding this "crisis solution" sparked frustration within the European Union, in light of the high numbers of migrants arriving at its external borders and the situation on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The agreement stipulates the establishment of an exceptional system that is less protective of asylum seekers than usual procedures in the event of a “mass” and “unprecedented” influx of migrants.

It extends the possibility of migrants being detained at the EU's external borders for up to 40 weeks, and allows for a faster and simplified examination of asylum applications for a larger number of arrivals (for those coming from countries with a acceptance rate of less than 75 percent), so that they can be returned more easily.

It also provides for the rapid activation of solidarity mechanisms between member states in caring for refugees, especially through the resettlement of asylum seekers or financial contributions.

In July, the meeting failed to reach the majority needed to approve the charter. Germany in particular abstained from the vote due to opposition from the Green Party, a member of the ruling coalition, which demanded the shelter of minors and their families.

In response, and in an effort to put pressure on the member states of the European Union and push them to agree, the European Parliament decided to stop negotiations on two other texts in the immigration file aimed at enhancing security at external borders.

The Spanish Interior Minister, Fernando Grande Marlaska Gomez, confirmed that the agreement reached on Wednesday “represents a major step forward, and we are now in a better position to reach an agreement on the entire Asylum and Migration Charter with Parliament by the end of this semester.”

In any case, this charter, which was presented by the European Commission in September 2020 and which includes about ten pieces of legislation, is supposed to be adopted before the European elections scheduled for June 2024.

On Wednesday, Austria, Slovakia and Czechia abstained from voting, and Poland and Hungary opposed it, according to a diplomatic source.

“We call on Brussels to immediately put an end to this migration policy and forced resettlement quotas,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said. “The reason for the increasing migration pressure on Central Europe is entirely due to Brussels,” which “supports the economic model of smugglers.”