The Brief – Tear down this wall

The EU needs a quick fix because it’s going down. The 28-29 June summit could end up indirectly sinking Angela Merkel, in other words, European policies might achieve what internal German ones failed to do.

Next week’s summit will not be her end. Merkel has been given a deadline by her sister party CSU which extends a few days beyond the end-of-week summit.

But without Merkel, the chances of a much-needed EU reform look dim and the risk of the EU unravelling is immense. So we’d better fix this migration conundrum.

The flavour of the day is the talk of setting up “disembarkation platforms” outside the bloc for processing migrants. The idea is to strengthen the EU’s external borders and make sure that prospective asylum seekers arrive in an orderly way, after their asylum request has been examined outside the EU.

The problem, of course, is where these platforms should actually be. Tunisia has been mentioned, although it is less than certain that the country’s authorities will play ball.

But the EU possesses territories outside the continent. More specifically, Spain owns the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, close to the Gibraltar Strait.

They have been part of Spanish territory since the 15th century and have been a subject of disputes ever since. In recent years, dramatic television footage has shown migrants trying to climb Ceuta and Melilla’s six-metre-high razor wire fences.

A totally disruptive idea would be to tear down these fences and set up processing centres that would operate in a dignified way.

This would also mean that any migrants trying to reach EU territory with unseaworthy vessels would be taken there. This would relieve Italy in particular. The effort should be financed 100% by the EU because, on top of solving Italy’s problems, it may help Europe survive one of its worst crises.

Happily enough, Spain has a new government which looks courageous, in sharp contrast with the sclerotic Rajoy period. And Spaniards are very likely to approve such a project.

There is no time to lose. If this is done before the European elections, Europeans could realise that their governments, and EU institutions, actually make sense.

The Roundup

By Alexandra Brzozowski and Benjamin Fox

French President Emmanuel Macron rode to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s aid on migration policy this week  – largely because he is aware that the political crisis in Berlin might affect him as well. The German finance minister, meanwhile, has defended euro reforms against conservative attack.

While Eurozone ministers are trying to resolve their differences and seek an end to the Greece bailout odyssey, one circumstance might add fuel to the fire: Germany turns out to have been a major beneficiary of Greece’s debt crisis.

Berlin also received a rap on the knuckles from the European Court of Justice today. The Luxembourg-based court ruled that Germany had breached EU law by allowing excessive use of manure as a fertilizer. That risks increasing water pollution.

As images of distressed refugees arriving on Italian shores have become increasingly familiar in recent years, an Italian region shows two sides to the immigration story.

Hungary has approved a package of bills that criminalises assistance given to illegal immigrants, defying the European Union and human rights groups.

The life of the British Prime Minister has become a constant struggle for survival recently: Theresa May survived another knife-edge Brexit vote in parliament but came under fresh pressure from the European Union to step up the withdrawal negotiations. EU residents in the UK have been told to Pay £65 to stay, Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced on Thursday.

The next six months will be crucial for our EU bid, says Albania’s justice minister in the eve of a highly expected vote next week on whether to open accession talks.

Romanians need to be showed that politics is not run by the mafia, says a former Commissioner. For his part, Europe minister designate Victor Negrescu, says that the Romanian Presidency will build consensus around the citizens, in an  wide-ranging interview presenting the priorities of the country’s upcoming EU Presidency in 2019.

Finland has scored another EU top job and will provide the new director-general of OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud office.

Europe’s river-dwelling creatures are threatened by traces of cocaine in some of the continent’s most well-known rivers, according to a new study. Migratory animals like the eel are particularly at risk.

Look out for…

The EEAS high-level conference that will discuss global security and peace challenges deriving from climate change featuring, amongst others, HRVP Federica Mogherini and Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete.

World Cup Watch

The Spain match saw some curiosities. While some players seemed to be concerned about animal welfare, others sparkled with creative moves. It was also the first time in 40 years that Iranian women were allowed to watch the World Cup in the same stadium as men.

Matches tomorrow: BRA-CRI | NIG-ISL |SRB-CH

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Albania justice minister: Next six months will be crucial for our EU bid

The member states are expected to vote next week on whether to open accession talks with Albania, as the Commission has recommended. The Balkan country has made progress in improving the rule of law but its EU prospects remain vague as several EU capitals have called for caution in planning the bloc's next enlargement.