Migration: Alarm in the EU – Mitsotakis at the Euro-Mediterranean Summit

In the shadow of the latest developments in the Middle East and concerns of further escalation in the region following Iran’s attacks on Israel. The Euro-Mediterranean Summit is taking place today, hosted by Cyprus. The summit will be hosted by Cyprus, with the host country hosting the summit.

Present, in addition to the host Nikos Christodoulides, will be Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, French President Emmanuel Macron, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, Croatian Andrei Plenkovic, Maltese Robert Abela and Slovenian Robert Golomb. Commission President Orsula von der Leyen and Jordanian Prime Minister will also be present, as EU-Jordanian relations will be discussed.

It is clear that the summit comes at a key moment as the European Union seeks to coordinate moves and stances on the Middle East. Because all the leaders may agree on supporting Israel over Iran, but there is no unified stance on the Lebanon front and certainly on the Gaza issue. Besides, the Euro-Mediterranean summit comes at a crucial point, just days before next week’s summit, and is expected to be the platform for the first discussion at the highest level.

It will be recalled that Mitsotakis has made clear in all tones Greece’s support for Israel’s right to self-defense, but has on several occasions pointed out – in a way that may not always please the Israelis – that a ceasefire is required at this stage for humanitarian reasons as well.

In any case, the prime minister is expected to insist on the need for a unified European approach to the issue, as individual differences weaken the EU’s institutional positioning, and will also have a bilateral meeting with King Abdullah on the sidelines of the summit.

Alert on migration

A discussion is of course expected to take place on migration, which is coming back to the forefront in the wake of controls at the EU’s internal borders and fears of migratory flows due to developments in Lebanon.

Mitsotakis will reiterate the importance of guarding the EU’s external borders and strengthening frontline countries, the importance of returns and cooperation with third countries, while he will underline the importance of implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum. In Europe, however, there is a clear change of climate and a hardening of the stance of several countries calling for immediate solutions to migrant deportations, with Hungary, which chairs the European Council, setting the tone.

Recall that a few days ago the Netherlands asked for an exemption from European asylum rules – deemed impossible – while a number of countries are calling for tougher measures. In this context, Mitsotakis has brought back to the discussion the request for European funding for the Evros fence.