Egypt rejects processing centres idea

Egypt will not allow the EU to set up migrant processing centres on its territory, a senior Egyptian politician said, putting a new stumbling block in front of Angela Merkel’s plans for a Europe-wide response to migration.

Ali Abdel Aal, speaker of the House of Representatives, said such facilities “would violate the laws and constitution of our country”.

The centres in Egypt and other north African countries were part of a set of proposals agreed to by Mrs Merkel and other EU leaders at a migration summit last week.

Morocco has also told the EU it would not agree to have processing centres on its territory.