Will the EU’s new migration pact solve the European migrant crisis?
The European Commission proposed a plan for member states to share the responsibility for asylum seekers under a “compulsory solidarity mechanism.” It is likely to trigger a heated debate over what is one of the bloc’s most politically sensitive issues. The European Union must agree on a system to handle migrants over the long term, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said upon announcing the plan. “Migration is complex, the old system to deal with it in Europe no longer works,” she said. The EU’s migration system has come under increasing pressure in recent years, with bottlenecks forming at external borders and nations trading barbs over responsibility. Member states who do not want to volunteer to house more migrants could instead take charge of deporting rejected asylum seekers.