EU agrees to immigration fix

European Union leaders on Friday said they reached a breakthrough agreement in a response to the migration crisis after nearly 10 hours of talks at a summit in Brussels. The leaders proposed to start screening migrants in North African countries to determine if they’re eligible for asylum. The agreement also said EU nations would volunteer to host rescued migrants in control centers, where they will be screened and either deported or granted asylum. It remains unclear which nations within North Africa the EU will volunteer to help. The EU also failed to decide on refugee quotas for each country.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the summit ended with a “good signal” but acknowledged, “We still have a lot of work to do to bridge the different views.” The EU leaders said the agreement would help improve their external borders and ease the migrant pressure on Italy and Germany. During the summit, Italy blocked any agreements until the EU committed to step up support for Italy and other frontline nations in combating smuggling operations, working with the Libyan coast guard, and helping with voluntary resettlement.

The group also noted that rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean Sea “must respect the applicable laws and not obstruct operations of the Libyan coast guard.” Migrant tensions intensified this month when Italy stopped some rescue ships with migrants from docking. Malta allowed the German-run Lifeline rescue ship carrying 234 migrants to dock after waiting at sea for nearly a week. “We are satisfied,” Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said. “It was a long negotiation, but from today, Italy is no longer alone.”

Underscoring the need for action, the Libyan coast guard said Friday that about 100 migrants were missing after the boat smuggling them across the Mediterranean capsized.