EU and Arab League meet

Over the next two days, the EU will turn to the Arab world, looking for solutions to migration, and seeking a bit of influence. With the growth of the extreme right on the continent on everyone’s minds, leaders from over 20 EU countries had a historic first summit with leaders of the Arab League, looking to establish a diplomatic containment wall of sorts, to prevent the leakage of people into the old continent.

Arrivals from North Africa have fallen in recent years, but this is not enough for European countries, who seek more stable and strategic agreements to buffer against huge population growth in the region. The Arab countries, seeking to avoid a mono-thematic summit, took time to explain their needs. On the table were migration, security, trade, energy and conflicts. Whilst Brussels had insisted leaders would engage over “many different subjects”, they couldn’t hide the migration priority. President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, opened by recognising the effort made by Arab countries, to “help refugees”. Tusk reiterated the European desire to “break the business of trafficking”. He asked the Arab League to “facilitate returns, readmissions and reintegration.”

European sources refuse to prejudge any concrete content, with internal discrepancies between EU members states still an issue, not to mention reluctance from the Arab League to sign a “blank cheque” pact. Expect discussions on economic and energy interests, humanitarian aid and the role of Europe in conflicts in the region, but results are likely to be agreements to “work together”, rather than concrete actions plans.