Germany, a country with a traditionally migration-friendly policy, has also backed the idea of a permanent system of relocation.

The ultimate objective is to do away with the ad-hoc crisis management mode that has been in place since the 2015 migration crisis and has proven woefully inadequate to cope with the challenge of cross-border dimensions. The EU Council would then be allowed to start negotiations with the European Parliament with the goal of wrapping up the legislation before next year's EU elections. If approved, the deal would represent an incontestable breakthrough in the long and arduous fight to establish a common framework to govern migration, one of the most explosive and polarising topics on the EU's agenda. I’m sure we're going to fight very hard.' 'This is a not zero-sum game' 'If we don't reach that agreement, all of us will be losers.

'We have been talking a lot for the last five years, six years, so I think that today is the moment to find that agreement,' Grande-Marlaska said. Spain's Fernando Grande-Marlaska was equally buoyant, describing the meeting as an 'important day' with a momentous decision within reach.

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