Today in Brussels at the European Council  the EU leaders will discuss the issue of migration  There will be a report on progress, as agreed in the June European Council conclusions.

While considering all elements and taking a comprehensive approach to migration, the leaders are expected to focus particularly on three aspects in their discussions:

• cooperation with countries of origin and transit
• the fight against people smuggling networks
• the recent Commission proposals on returns, the Asylum Agency and the European Border and Coast Guard

The conclusions will also take into account the discussion already held at the informal leaders’ meeting in Salzburg on 20 September. The Austrian Chancellor is also expected to report on the reform of the Common European Asylum System and the prospects for progress on its various elements, also following the discussion held in the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 11-12 October.

“In the #EU debate on migration, this has been a dead end in the conflict over quotas for many years. We now want to go the path of solidarity instead of obligatory quotas, where everyone contributes where they can. This is a very capable access” Austrian Cancellor Kurz said in his doorstep remarks.

There is still considerable pressure from the behalf of the Mediterranean flooded with migrants states to relocate them  along all EU members, and reform the Dublin regulation, imposing all responsibility onto the first receiving state.

However the consequent refusal of a number of the EU states to accept migrants should be compensated by the governments by allocation of  funds to share the burden to some extend.

While addressing migration issues the EU top diplomat Federica Mogherini (pictured) called for “new equal political  partnership” with Africa.