As leaders of EU member states gather in Brussels on Thursday, moving forward on policies tackling irregular migration is set to be high on the agenda.

In an invitation letter to the leaders attending the meeting, President of the European Council Charles Michel said migration will be a "major point of discussion."

Michel said the gathering will "focus on concrete measures to prevent irregular migration including strengthened control of our external borders, enhanced partnerships and reinforced return policies."  

Irregular border crossings down in 2024

Irregular border crossings are down over 40% so far in 2024, after they peaked at almost their highest level in almost a decade last year. 

Ahead of the summit, Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told journalists "there is a desire to work on pragmatic solutions."

Italy brokered a controversial deal which now sees some migrants going to reception centers in Albania.On Thursday, four migrants were granted access to Italy via an offshore Italian asylum processing center in Albania.   

The EU consists of 27 member states, with migrants entering the bloc by land from the east and via the Mediterranean sea from the south.

Italy, with its long Mediterranean coastline and island territories not far from Africa, is one of the first destination countries for asylum seekers.  

Poland is an EU country where migrants have tried to enter by land, with the Polish government accusing Belarus and Russia of pushing them to its territory.

The EU gathering comes after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for suspending the right to asylum as a measure to prevent more people from coming in via Belarus.     

Germany's Scholz skeptical of offshore centers

Upon arriving at the summit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed skepticism about reception centers outside of the EU.

"It's clear that concepts that represent very few small drops when you look at the figures, are not really the solution for a country as large as Germany," Scholz said. He noted that 300,000 people came to Germany irregularly in 2023. 

EU gathering comes after far-right gains in Netherlands, Germany, Austria 

The EU meeting comes as far-right parties running on harder anti-immigration measures gain power in Europe.

Far-right parties made dramatic gains in European Parliament elections in June, although the centrist working majority still held in the chamber. Far-right parties also have achieved victories in various national and regional elections in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.

"We see that there is a different mood in Europe," Dutch PM Dick Schoof, who is in charge of a far-right leaning government, said. The Netherlands is mulling a plan that would send rejected asylum seekers to Uganda.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said: "A great number of Europeans are tired of us helping people from outside who commit crimes. Some are radicalized."

"It can't go on like this. Therefore, there is a limit as to how many people we can help," she added.       

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a right-wing populist who has often butted heads with Brussels, was also present at the meeting. 

"The peoples of Europe have had enough of illegal migration, failed economic policies and the bureaucrats in Brussels," Orban posted on X.    

Other than migration, EU leaders on Thursday will also discuss issues such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and various conflicts in the Middle East.

wd/wmr (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)