Diplomatic hits and misses of 2023

EU wrestles with migration crisis

As the European Union is struggling to fix migrant plight, some of its member states have tightened their borders over the past few months. In November, France reinstated border controls and Germany has also introduced border checks.

Irregular crossings at the EU's external borders increased by 17 percent in the first 11 months of this year to over 355,300, surpassing full-year totals in any year since 2016, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency said. The bloc's 27 member states plus Norway and Switzerland are projected to receive over one million asylum applications in 2023.

The EU member states have been progressing with the long-stalled reform of a united migration policy, but given their divergent positions, the talks are lengthy and difficult.

Immigration has become the third rail of European politics, with October's informal EU summit in Granada, Spain, being an evident example, where the EU heads of state and governments failed to reach an agreement on addressing the pressing migration crisis.