EU institutions reach deal on migration policy reform

BRUSSELS, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Council of the European Union (EU) and the European Parliament on Wednesday reached a provisional agreement that will thoroughly reform the bloc's asylum and migration policy, breaking years of deadlock on the issue.

"This reform is a crucial piece of the puzzle," said Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council.

"Citizens across the EU want their governments to deal with the migration challenge and today is a big step in this direction," he added.

Under the deal, irregular migrants arriving in the EU will be screened, their biometric data will be taken, and their destination will be determined through a set of EU rules.

Meanwhile, they are liable to faster deportation if their cases are considered to be "instrumentalization of migrants," the Council said.

The new regulations aim to increase the effectiveness of the asylum system, and enhance solidarity between EU member states by lightening the load for those dealing with the highest numbers of migrant arrivals.

The provisional agreement will be submitted to EU member states after technical work.

The Council and the European Parliament have been negotiating the pact since October. The EU has recently faced several waves of migration.