EU leaders face deep divisions on migration and the eurozone at a crucial summit in Brussels on Thursday that could decide the fate of embattled German Chancellor Angela Merkel and even the bloc itself.
The meeting comes amid warnings that authoritarian and “anti-European” movements will profit from any failure by the 28 leaders to deal with the wave of problems, especially a flare-up of tensions over migrants.
The rise of Italy’s new populist government and bitter rows over who should take in migrants arriving on numerous rescue boats have revived divisions, despite the fact that arrivals have dipped sharply since the 2015 migration crisis.
Eurozone reforms, pushed by French President Emmanuel Macron to revamp the economy and counter the rise of populists in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the EU, are meanwhile stalled in the face of opposition.
Brexit itself, which has dominated recent summits, will be relegated to the sidelines of the meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May set to give her colleagues only a brief update on the deadlocked negotiations.
EU President Donald Tusk warned on the eve of the summit that time is running out for leaders to reassure their citizens that they can control migration before authoritarian politicians win the “high-stakes” debate.
