Politics
(Strasbourg) “No agreement was reached at the Salzburg Summit” by the EU heads of state and government, and there is a urgent need to make decisions “especially with regard to the Dublin system and the protection of external borders”. The President of the EU Commission Jean-Claude Juncker is in Strasbourg to report to the Plenary of the European Parliament on the issues that will be on the agenda at the forthcoming European Council on 18-19 October. Three are the main topics for discussion: security, migration, and Brexit. Juncker still does not see any convergence between the positions of Member States on the first two points. “I was surprised to see that those who, until a few days ago, were calling for the protection of the external borders are now sceptical” about the Commission’s proposal. The Executive has put on the table a proposal to boost the European Border Guard by 10,000 agents. But some Member States argued that such proposal would make them lose their autonomy in the matter. Juncker said: “The asylum system must be reformed by 2018”. As for Brexit: “We want a deal” with the UK. “Those who think that it is better to have a no-deal Brexit do not understand the serious implications that this would have”. Speaking about the possible introduction of a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, he used a slogan which seems quite at odds with Theresa May’s political line: “Ireland First”.
