Brexit and migration dominates the debate on October’s EU summit

Migration should be the main topic on the agenda during the meeting of EU heads of state or government on 18 October, said Minister Juliane Bogner-Strauß, representing the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. However, the European Parliament’s political group leaders mostly focused on Brexit, during the debate on the EU summit. Many supported the EU’s position on the future border between Ireland and the United Kingdom, put forward by European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker. For many, the informal summit in Salzburg, often raised during the debate, was a display of European solidarity on Brexit. But some MEPs also criticised the lack of unity among member states on migration and the Austrian presidency’s inaction on asylum reform and social policies. Many MEPs also questioned the presidency’s stance on the application of Article 7 of the Treaty (on the rule of law) against Hungary and Poland.