EU countries want to be ready for a possible migration crisis. von der Leyen

“We will not allow a repeat of 2015,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after the summit held in Brussels, stressing that they do not see migration flows to Europe yet, but they must be ready.

The topic of migration played a bigger role than expected at the summit in Brussels after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on the EU to prepare for a possible increase in migration due to the escalating situation in the Middle East.

In the mid-2010s, millions of people became refugees and moved to Europe, especially from Syria, where a civil war was going on. In 2015 alone, more than 1 million people applied for asylum in the EU.

In the joint statement published yesterday at the end of the summit, the EU leaders stated that “the EU is ready to fully mobilize its diplomatic, legal, operational and financial instruments to prevent uncontrolled migration flows to the EU and to maintain the security of Europe”.