EU leaders talk tough on migration

BRUSSELS: Migration was at the top of the agenda as EU leaders met in Brussels on October 12, 2024, with most governments keen to display a tough stance after hard-right gains in several countries, but little agreement on a course of action. Talk of easing deportations, creating processing centres outside the European Union and speeding up implementation of a long-negotiated deal agreed on earlier this year have dominated the run-up to a summit that crystallised a rightward shift in the bloc's rhetoric. Italy's hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted a mini-summit in Brussels just ahead of the main event to discuss a common approach with 10 like-minded countries, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Hungary and Greece. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was also present. — AFP