Good morning from Brussels, A deal on migration with concrete decisions at the EU summit starting today in Brussels seems difficult, as divisions among member states remain stark, EU diplomats told Euractiv. EU capitals will come to Brussels with their own priorities on how to handle EU migration, as the Middle East crisis raises concerns about potential refugee flows from the region. Germany, France, and Spain want an earlier implementation of the EU migration Pact, which is due to take effect in 2026. Hungary and Poland oppose this proposal. Berlin and The Hague also want a reference in the conclusions to the current legal framework, the Dublin Regulation, which requires asylum requests from irregular migrants to be handled by the first EU country they arrive in. Greece and Italy reacted, saying this puts much of the burden on their shoulders. However, they are under pressure to agree to something in writing at the December summit. The so-called “return hubs” – inspired by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni initiative with Albania—will also be discussed, but reaching conclusions will be challenging. Euractiv’s Nicholas Wallace explains the national positions ahead of the summit and analyses the latest draft conclusions put forward by EU Council chief Charles Michel, who will attend his last summit. However, one certain conclusion is that migration is back on the EU agenda for good, and it is already causing political turmoil in several capitals. In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is under attack by the main opposition CDU for his handling of migration. There is a similar situation in Poland and Spain. In Greece, the far right is accused of aligning with Viktor Orbán’s Patriots for Europe, who harm national interests on migration. | 