EU leaders to debate "highly divisive "migrant quotas at summit

BRUSSELS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- European Union (EU) leaders are set to debate over "highly divisive" mandatory quotas of migrants at the EU summit starting Thursday, with no consensus in sight.

"The issue of mandatory quotas has proven to be highly divisive and the approach has received disproportionate attention in light of its impact on the ground," said a press note released by the European Council ahead of the summit.

"In this sense, it has turned out to be ineffective," the note said.

The mandatory quotas, put in place in September 2015, have run into vehement resistance from a clutch of eastern European members.

As the latest sign of division caused by the quotas, the European Commission last week decided to haul the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland before the Court of Justice of the EU for not taking in refugees.

According to the European Commission, Poland and Hungary haven't taken in any refugees since September 2015, when EU members pledged to relocate a total of 160,000 migrants from overstretched Greece and Italy within two years.

The Czech Republic has not relocated anyone since August 2016 and not made any new pledges for over a year.

The three countries insisted that their national security is more important than "reckless decisions" on refugees made by EU institutions.

The two-year relocation scheme has relocated some 32,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to other EU member states, according to the Commission's relocation report.

Given the yawning gap over the issue, no written conclusions on migration will be endorsed at this summit.

Leaders are eying a consensus on migration by June 2018. "If there is no solution by then, the European Council will present a way forward for consideration by leaders," said the note.

European leaders gathered in Brussels Thursday for the final two-day EU summit of this year. The first day's agenda include defense cooperation, migration and social issues.

EU leaders, except British Prime Minister Theresa May, will hold a "Euro Summit" on Friday morning to discuss the next steps for the economic and monetary union and the banking union.

Afterwards, the EU27 leaders are expected to adopt guidelines for the second phase of Brexit talks, which focus on transitional arrangements and future relationship with Britain. Enditem