EU leaders agree on migration after late-night summit

BRUSSELS: European Union leaders reached an agreement on migration after almost 10 hours of chaotic talks in Brussels over the sensitive issue threatening their union and zone of free travel, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.

“EU28 leaders have agreed on (summit) conclusions, including on migration,” the chairman of the talks, Donald Tusk, said.

Italy has earlier blocked any agreement at the summit – which was also about trade and security, among other things – unless EU peers meet its demands over migration.

The euro jumped as much as 0.6 percent on Friday after news that a deal had been reached.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was a good sign that EU leaders had been able to agree on common language on migration at a summit on Friday, but acknowledged that deep divisions remained among member states.

“Overall, after an intensive discussion on the most challenging theme for the European Union, namely migration, it is a good signal that we agreed on a common text,” Merkel said.

“We still have a lot of work to do to bridge the different views,” she added.