Interior ministers from across the European Union have failed to agree on temporary measures to manage increased migration across the Mediterranean. Officials have told DW that the future of the bloc is at stake.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress
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EU interior ministers meeting in Finland on Thursday failed to strike a stopgap deal to address ongoing disagreements about the bloc's migration policies, particularly issues of who should take responsibility for new arrivals.
There were "very different opinions," French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said, with some ministers refusing to allow more refugees into their country, others appealing for solidarity, and many expressing concern about enticing more migrants to attempt the journey.
Ahead of the meeting, Germany's conservative interior minister, Horst Seehofer, said he would pursue a "temporary arrangement" for distributing refugees among the member states, but he expressed skepticism that a deal would be reached in one day.
But EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos played down disagreements at the summit.
"Last night it was not a decision-making event," Avramopoulos said. "We had a brainstorming; as I said, it was very animated."
France's Castaner said he is planning to host a meeting in Paris next week with around 15 of the EU's 28 member states.
"I proposed that we reach agreement as early as yesterday, but I confirm that we have not done so," Castaner said. "Some states favored refusing to even receive migrants, others favored more solidarity."
From escalating violence in the Middle East and Africa to incoherent asylum policy at home - DW looks at how the EU has found itself in the midst of a refugee crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fleeing war and poverty
In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Seeking refuge over the border
Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A long journey on foot
In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.
Image: Getty Images/M. Cardy
Desperate sea crossings
Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.
Image: Reuters/D. Zammit Lupi
Pressure on the borders
Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/B. Mohai
Closing the open door
Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Striking a deal with Turkey
In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Altan
No end in sight
With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Mitrolidis
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EU could 'break apart'
Luxembourg's foreign minister, Jean Asselborn, warned that member states needed to show solidarity or the bloc could "break apart."
"We're arguing from [the perspective of] two different continents," he told DW. "Firstly, from a civilized Europe, which France, Germany and others are effectively trying to create. And secondly, another Europe — a humane no-man's-land. And that's extremely bad."
Asselborn stressed that Europe still had a crucial decision to make on migration. "I hope that the decisive step isn't that we (reject) a European integration policy," he said. "Then things would go wrong."
Germany and France have sought to form an alliance of 10 or so countries for distributing refugees, with Italy still taking in some migrants. Italy's far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, however, has categorically rejected this plan.
During the Helsinki summit, Salvini — who has enacted hard-line policies targeting irregular migrants — wrote on Twitter that "ministers from several countries have praised Italy's policy of defending borders, which has led to a drastic reduction of arrivals in Europe and of deaths in the Mediterranean."
