European Union leaders will on Thursday meet in Brussels for talks on irregular migration to the bloc, differing positions on the Middle East conflict and further support for war-torn Ukraine.

Migration has been a contentious issue in the EU for years.

Amid a series of electoral successes for far-right parties across the bloc and a changing security landscape, individual countries take increasingly restrictive positions.

Poland recently announced plans to temporarily suspend the right to asylum, accusing Russia and Belarus of pushing migrants to the Polish border, which is also the EU’s external border.

This was in order to destabilise the bloc and undermine security.

Germany recently reintroduced border checks to other EU countries after a deadly knife attack in the western city of Solingen and the far-right opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s gaining massively in regional elections.

EU leaders are expected to discuss involving countries outside the EU in processing irregular migrants after Italy announced this week that the first migrants were brought to new controversial asylum centres in Albania.

Earlier this year, EU countries agreed to a major reform to tighten the bloc’s migration and asylum laws that had been years in the making.

It implemented the new legislation might take years, with some calling for the process to be sped up.

Migration is not the only topic on the summit’s agenda, where the EU’s 27 members are grappling with a joint approach.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will join EU leaders to present his vision for ending the war and a plea for further support.

Russia-friendly Hungary has, however, been blocking more military aid.

The leaders would also discuss the Middle East conflict after the capitals have been struggling to agree on a response that could help stop the fighting. 

(dpa/NAN)