EU leaders agree on outline of immigration deal

EU leaders have managed to agree on an outline of an immigration deal after a 10 hour session of talks.

Although German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for whom the matter is crucial domestic issue, is not in the clear yet as she still has to convince her coalition parties that there is a way to control immigration.

European leaders have agreed that some EU countries would take migrants rescued from the Mediterranean after Italy threatened to veto the entire agreement unless EU states would help with migrants arriving on Italian shores.

It is still unclear how EU countries are going to alleviate the burden on Italy and Greece but the draft reads the aid offered will be voluntary. New screening centers will be set for migrants to decide more quickly whether they are legitimate refugees.

Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, said: “We are satisfied. It was a long negotiation but from today Italy is no longer alone.”

French president, Emmanuel Macron, declared that European cooperation “has won the day”.

Nevertheless, for Germany it is still unclear whether the deal will secure the future of Angela Merkel’s coalition government, after disputes over the handling of refugees.

Interior minister Horst Seehofer, threatened to close Germany’s borders to refugees unless Merkel comes up with a plan by 1 July.