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Added on the 26/05/2023 11:10:00 - Copyright : France 24 EN
EU spokesperson Eric Mamer seems to pour cold water over a potential Dutch opt-out of the bloc's asylum system, saying "you cannot opt out of EU legislation... We are working on the basis of existing treaties and existing legislation". Speaking to AFP earlier on Thursday, Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders vowed to enact the country's strictest asylum policy ever. SOUNDBITE
The EU gives the final green light to a landmark overhaul of its migration and asylum policies that will see hardened borders and responsibility shared among member states. SOUNDBITE
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hails the EU parliament's adoption of a contentious asylum policy reform as a "huge achievement for Europe". The parliament's main political groups overcame opposition from far-right and far-left parties to pass the new migration and asylum pact -- a sweeping reform nearly a decade in the making. SOUNDBITE
The European Union's finance ministers hold an ECOFIN meeting in Brussels expected to focus on the issues of taxation, solutions to the banking crisis and the economic impact of the war in Ukraine. IMAGES
European interior ministers gather for crisis talks in Brussels called by Paris as an ugly row between France and Italy over how to handle would-be refugees forces EU migration reform back onto their agenda. New arrival numbers haven't yet hit the levels of 2015 and 2016, but European capitals are concerned about new pressure on sea routes from North Africa and overland through the western Balkans. IMAGES
"We commit to ensuring that a certain number of Russian banks are removed from SWIFT," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announces at a press conference. "This will ensure that these banks are disconnected from the international financial system." SOUNDBITE