{"id":10875,"date":"2018-07-04T13:04:44","date_gmt":"2018-07-04T12:04:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/?p=10875"},"modified":"2018-07-25T11:21:33","modified_gmt":"2018-07-25T10:21:33","slug":"migration-deal-in-europe-makes-no-commitments-victory-is-declared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldpolicyconference.com\/fr\/migration-deal-in-europe-makes-no-commitments-victory-is-declared\/","title":{"rendered":"Migration Deal in Europe Makes No Commitments. Victory Is Declared."},"content":{"rendered":"
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June 29, 2018<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

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By\u00a0Steven Erlanger,\u00a0 The New York Times<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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BRUSSELS \u2014 The European Union\u2019s new agreement on migration does not obligate any country to do anything, but it appeared to be enough to save Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and provide a political victory to the new populist government of Italy.<\/p>\n

Leaders of the European Union argued, cajoled and debated for nearly 10 hours until dawn on Friday to come up with\u00a0a set of proposals<\/a>\u00a0on how to handle migration, including the idea of establishing secured centers both inside Europe and in North Africa to screen migrants, identify and distribute legitimate refugees, and keep migrants from moving from one country to another.<\/p>\n

The leaders were not driven so much by humanitarian concerns \u2014 the levels of migration have fallen considerably \u2014 as by political necessity. In an important gesture of solidarity, Ms. Merkel\u2019s colleagues gave her the \u201cEuropean answer\u201d to her urgent domestic need \u2014 to face down a challenge to her leadership from her fellow conservatives in Bavaria and her own interior minister, Horst Seehofer.<\/p>\n

While Mr. Seehofer said little on Friday, senior members of his Christian Social Union suggested that Ms. Merkel had obtained enough to defuse the crisis, at least for now, and preserve her ruling coalition. Hans Michelbach, a senior Bavarian legislator, said that \u201csomething moved in the right direction in Europe,\u201d adding that his party wanted to continue to work with Ms. Merkel\u2019s Christian Democratic Union.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr. Seehofer had warned that he would defy Ms. Merkel and establish a hard border with Austria unless she struck a deal to stem the flow of migrants into Germany who had registered in other countries.<\/p>\n

While Ms. Merkel remains weakened by the dispute, analysts suggested that she was safe for now, and that the clash had damaged Mr. Seehofer in the polls. After the E.U. summit meeting ended on Friday, Ms. Merkel was able to announce that she had separately secured promises from Greece and Spain to take back migrants in Germany who had first been registered in those countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was very important is that we agreed that migration does not pose a challenge for individual member states, but to Europe as a whole,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re not there yet, but it\u2019s a step in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an apparent gesture to the Bavarian rebels in her coalition, Ms. Merkel acknowledged that the political crisis at home had been \u201can incentive to find solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cShe delivered,\u201d said Andrea R\u00f6mmele, a professor at the Berlin-based Hertie School of Governance. \u201cThis is enough for both sides to save face and step away from the brink.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n