EU rocked from WITHIN as Verhofstadt launches scathing attack over summit FAILURE

Guy Verhofstadt launched into a fiery speech during which he blasted EU Council boss Donald Tusk and other European leaders for failing to produce a common strategy to reform the European Union‘s migration policy.

EU leaders met in Brussels last week in an emergency meeting to address growing concerns about the functionality of the bloc’s approach to the migrant crisis.

Mr Verhofstadt dismissed the meeting, suggesting the European Parliament could drag the Council to court over its “failure to act” to reform its current Dublin III policy despite complaints from several EU member states.

Addressing Mr Tusk in Strasbourg, the former Belgian Prime Minister said: “I proposed to the chairman to examine if it is not necessary for our Parliament to go to Court because there is a clear failure to act by the Council, especially on the file of Dublin.

“I don’t say this in a wild way, it’s based on the facts.” 

Current EU policy expects countries in which migrants first arrive to manage asylum requests but Italy, one of the mains arrival point in the EU, accused Brussels of abandoning the country by failing to uphold the redistribution quotas included in the Dublin III policy.

Mr Verhofstadt also said the Parliament was “still waiting” for the Council to make their plans clear despite suggesting the latest summit had helped bring member states closer to a solution.

He continued: “If you look at the conclusion of the Council, what does it say? Have you liberated additional money, 2019-2020, to start with the border and coast guards?

“Will you do that, additional money, on the money of 2019-2020? Otherwise, we cannot accelerate the border and coast guards from 2027 to 2020. Have you agreed on a new asylum system, Dublin? Where is the position of the Council?

“We have had our position since November, President, and we are waiting for the position of the Council. Still waiting for the position of the Council.”

The Belgian MEP added: “‘We’re going to work further on it,’ that’s only what you can read in the conclusions.

“The same on these reception centres. What is in the conclusion? It’s that we’re going to examine it.

“Examine, in European language, means that’s going to take a while.”

The summit eventually agreed to a set of draft proposals, including moves to set up new reception centres to process asylum claims.

The package, short on specific details, was seen by diplomats at the summit as an attempt to provide support to Angela Merkel.

The German Chancellor has faced intense criticism from within her own ruling coalition over her support for open-door border policies.