Huddling with the bloc's top officials and driving the agenda on the headline issue of migration, Italy's Giorgia Meloni was front and centre as EU leaders converged on Brussels this week.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is to miss Friday's meeting of European leaders with US President Joe Biden in Berlin. Meloni said on Wednesday she "could not attend under any circumstance" as she is due to visit the Middle East,

Europe’s leaders began mapping out a stricter migration policy as countries contend with political pressure to show an improvement in reducing the number of arrivals.

The one-day summit was heavily dominated by migration as member states look to "innovative solutions" to curb irregular arrivals.View on euronews

Migration was at the top of the agenda as EU leaders met in Brussels on Thursday, with most governments keen to display a tough stance after hard-right gains in several

European Union leaders arriving at a summit in Brussels on Thursday said that the bloc needed tougher policies to expel illegal migrants, but acknowledged that agreeing new steps would take time. Poland and Baltic countries have said they would also call for a common EU stance against Russia and Belarus using migrants as a weapon against the EU.

European Union leaders on Thursday discussed potential migrant return hubs outside the bloc and other approaches as capitals take increasingly restrictive positions. Building camps outside the EU for migrants with no right to stay in the bloc was "not trivial,

European Union leaders used a summit Thursday to seek ways to make the bloc a more hostile destination for migrants and asylum seekers following a recent surge in support for the extreme right, which has fomented opposition to foreigners.