Today on Good Morning Europe there has been A LOT going on! Our main story was, you guessed it, the migration agreement that was finally reached at the crunch EU summit in Brussels. We covered it live from Brussels and beyond.
ADVERTISEMENTToday on Good Morning Europe there has been A LOT going on! Our main story was, you guessed it, the migration agreement that was finally reached at the crunch EU summit in Brussels.
We covered it live from Brussels and beyond. So, let’s start in the heart of the EU...
Brussels
The two-day summit was billed “make-or-break” for the bloc. Some wondered whether, after weeks of bickering, a consensus could be reached among the 28 member states.
But European Council President Donald Tusk announced an accord with this tweet:
It came after hours of discussions that went on long into the night.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says some divisions remain, but French President Emmanuel Macron appeared optimistic:
"Just a word to say that after nine hours of talks and work, a deal has been reached and it is good news for France. It is the fruit of combined work and it's European cooperation that won as opposed to a non-deal or a national decision that would have been neither efficient nor lasting", he told reporters.
Our correspondent Bryan Carter joined us from Brussels to talk about:
Controlled centres set up in member states on a voluntary basis
Exploring the concept of regional disembarkation platforms
External migration management in the Multi-Annual Financial Framework
Confused? Take a look at the video above to hear Bryan give us all the latest on what was agreed.
Rome
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told reporters outside the summit that he was satisfied with the deal reached, adding:
"Italy is not alone anymore as we requested."
Before the summit, he gave a hint of what was to come from Italy, writing in this Facebook post:
"We will not accept these compromises. Italy has always amply demonstrated its goodwill.
"If this time we do not have to find availability from other European countries, we could close this council without approving shared conclusions."
But what will Italy make of it? Our correspondent Claudio Lavanga joined us live from Rome for more on the topic.
Back to Brussels
Back to Brussels, next, for some analysis of the summit. Politico Europe’s Political Editor Ryan Heath told us why an agreement doesn’t necessarily equate to EU-wide unity.
#THECUBE
And what about the NGO boats that have been stranded in the Mediterranean when countries closed their ports to migrants? Alex Morgan tells us what the agreement means for the charity-run vessels operating in the Mediterranean.
Berlin
Ahead of the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the talks could be “make-or-break” for the EU.
ADVERTISEMENTWhen the leaders finally emerged from day one at around 5am CET on Friday (June 29), she expressed optimism, but said divisions remained.
"Overall, I believe that it sends a good message that we came to a joint decision after intensive discussions on a theme that's probably the most challenging for the European Union. […]
“But I am optimistic that after today, we will really continue to work, even though we have a lot to do in bridging the different points of view."
The stakes were especially high for her and she may not be out of the woods, yet, as our correspondent Jessica Saltz explained.
London
For once Brexit is not top of the agenda of this EU summit. But there is growing frustration over the lack of progress in those talks, just nine months before the UK is due to leave the EU.
ADVERTISEMENTOur correspondent Vincent McAviney gave us the latest (with a few World Cup references thrown in, too).
Back to Brussels (again)
And we wrap up our early-morning EU Summit extravaganza where we started: in Brussels, with Bryan Carter. He was joined by Euronews journalist Elena Cavallone who gave us some insight into what she was hearing from the Italian side of the issue.
Good Morning Europe airs every weekday from 7am CET.