EU migration policy stuck in a decade-long loop

The October 15 summit will once again grapple with the challenge of regaining control over external borders and increasing deportation rates for those without legal status. A draft document dated October 5 indicates that officials are revisiting the efficacy of previous commitments, a cyclical process that has defined the European Council's approach for twelve years.

Since 2015, when more than one million Syrians arrived in Europe seeking asylum, migration has dominated the political agenda. Of the 52 sets of conclusions published by the European Council during this period, more than half have focused on managing migratory flows. The current insistence on improving readmission processes mirrors the exact concerns raised in December 2015, underscoring a persistent gap between summit declarations and the implementation of tangible results.