EU LEADERS REACH MIGRATION DEAL

European leaders have reached a migration deal after holding marathon talks at a summit lasting nearly 10 hours, the bloc’s president Donald Tusk said on Friday.

Italy – the entry point for thousands of migrants, mainly from Africa – had threatened to veto the conclusions of the entire agenda if it did not receive help on the issue, the Guardian reported.

The country had been asking EU member countries do more to share responsibility for asylum seekers landing on Italian shores.

Announcing the end of tense summit talks shortly before dawn, European Council head Tusk tweeted that 28 EU “leaders agreed” on a migration compromise which was at the heart of their twoday summit.

In a compromise, the EU countries agreed to set up joint asylum processing sites and restrict migrants’ moves with the bloc. “All the measures in the context of these controlled centres, including relocation and resettlement, will be on a voluntary basis,” the joint statement said.

The leaders also agreed to tighten their external border more, increase financing for Turkey, Morocco and Northern African states to prevent migration to Europe. However, it was unclear which countries would host the centres or receive refugees. The bloc also dodged an agreement on controversial refugee quotas.

“After this European summit, Europe is more responsible and offers more solidarity,” said Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. “”We are satisfied. Today Italy is no longer alone.”