After years of bickering, European Union claims breakthrough in migration talks

The pact will form the 27 EU countries’ negotiating stance in talks with the European Parliament, which has a different view of solidarity

The wreckage from a capsized boat washes ashore at a beach near Cutro, southern Italy, in February. Picture: AP Photo/Giuseppe Pipita

European Union countries have made a breakthrough in migration talks, sealing agreement on a plan to share out responsibility for migrants entering Europe without authorisation, the root of one of the bloc’s longest-running political crises, officials said.

After a long day of negotiations in Luxembourg, EU interior ministers endorsed a deal balancing the obligation for countries where most migrants arrive to process and lodge them against the requirement for other members to provide support, whether financial or by hosting refugees.