Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he will sign a deal with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on migration. The announcement comes as EU countries meet in Brussels to try to resolve the dispute.
In an interview with The Financial Times, Tsipras said he was willing to sign a deal with Merkel to facilitate the return of asylum seekers to other European countries.
"We have to find a way in the framework of international law, to share the burden, and to not have this unfair position for the frontline countries but also for Germany. Because it's not fair for all these people to go to Germany, if we believe that this is a European problem," Tsipras told the FT on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister added that only 50 to 100 migrants a month are crossing Greece's Northern border, and any deal with Merkel would not likely have any great effect on the country.
The German chancellor is under pressure to agree a border deal from her conservative allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU). EU members are meeting in Brussels to discuss a joint solution to the migration issue. If Merkel fails to find a way to reduce migration to Germany by negotiating with other EU members, the CSU could impose new border controls, destabilizing the ruling coalition.
Italy a major roadblock to deal
The German government will likely reach a deal with Greece on the migration issue, but the Italian government may hinder an agreement.
Giuseppe Conte, Italy's Prime Minister, balked at Merkel's tougher migration measures, according to The Financial Times, which would oblige Italy to take in migrants who entered Italian ports but later moved on to Germany.
Conte said in response to the negotiations that "our positions cannot be ignored." Guglielmo Picchi, a foreign policy advisor to Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, has said that countries like Germany are not "getting the message from the south." The Italian government does not want to make a deal that would involve Italy accepting more migrants.
The Austrian government, under Sebastian Kurz, and Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban also share a populist approach, with more hardline positions on migration. If a deal is not found, Europe's system of free movement, the Schengen Agreement, could be at risk. The Financial Times reports that a government advisor told a northern EU leader "we are nowhere near solving this" in relation to a European solution to the migration issue. "And if we do not find a deal, then slowly and surely, the Schengen area will fall apart," the advisor said.