EU countries want to be prepared for migration crisis

In view of the escalating situation in the Middle East, EU leaders said they do not want to be taken by surprise by a potential migration crisis.

"We will not let there be a repeat of 2015," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said following a Thursday summit in Brussels, stressing that "so far, we have not seen migratory movements towards Europe, but we must be prepared."

"We have learned the lessons of the past, and today we are better equipped," von der Leyen added.

The topic of migration played a greater role at the summit in Brussels than originally anticipated after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the EU to prepare for an uptick in migration in light of the escalating situation in the Middle East.

In the mid-2010s, millions of people fled to Europe, particularly from Syria which was in the throes of a civil war. In 2015 alone, well over 1 million people applied for asylum in the EU.

EU leaders said in a joint statement published at the end of Thursday's summit that "the EU is ready to fully mobilise its diplomatic, legal, operational and financial tools to prevent uncontrolled migratory movements to the EU and preserve security in Europe."

"We cannot risk a repeat of the refugee and migratory flows to the EU which we saw unfold in 2015-2016," Frederiksen and Meloni had said in a Wednesday letter to the heads of the European Commission and European Council, and fellow leaders of EU countries.

Frederiksen and Meloni called on the European Commission to examine mechanisms that could act as an "emergency brake" in the event of large-scale migration movements.

Speaking on Danish television, Frederiksen cited a rule allowing asylum seekers to be turned away at the border as an example of a possible measure.

International organizations and the European Commission have said they currently see no signs of major refugee movements from the Middle East towards Europe. However, the ongoing conflict has displaced millions of people in the region.

Frederiksen and Meloni advocate providing more aid on the ground to prevent mass migration movements towards Europe, stating in their letter: "We can help more people better and more efficiently by providing support directly to their regions of origin."

Meloni is known for her tough stance against migration, while Frederiksen is in the midst of an election campaign ahead of polls next week. Denmark's political parties have long tried to outdo one another with calls for an increasingly strict migration policy.

EU member states have long been debating to further tighten new rules under the bloc's common asylum system, known as GEAS, which is set to come into force in June.

The aim is to distribute asylum seekers between member states more equally and to process asylum procedures more quickly. In addition, the EU has expanded its cooperation with several third countries in recent years in order to prevent unwanted migration.