President Nikos Christodoulides hoped that the second day of an EU summit discussing a migration deal can break the deadlock after Poland and Hungary slammed the brakes.
“It’s a pity that we weren’t able to reach an agreement last night, let’s hope that today we can reach an agreement – migration is a common issue,” he said on Friday.
“It’s necessary to show in action what is said in words about solidarity,” Christodoulides emphasised.
There was hope from many across the bloc that the much-desired overhaul of its migration and asylum regulations could be finalised, with EU governments agreeing a deal in principle on June 8.
But Poland and Hungary on Thursday night fiercely opposed the plans and refused to back any final statement on migration.
Poland in particular is fighting for provisions that would likely undermine the deal as it stands, such as decisions on such sensitive issues be reached “by consensus” – meaning unanimity.
Christodoulides emphasised that: “[Migration] is a very critical issue, the public expects a common stance from all 27 member states, it’s a European matter – it impacts our sovereignty, our unity.”
The Cyprus Mail recently published an article looking at how the proposed EU deal on an asylum overhaul would impact Cyprus.
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