EU lawmakers approve migration plan, set clock ticking

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers have approved a series of proposals aimed at ending the long standoff over how best to manage migration. Disputes over who should take people for arriving in Europe without authorization have provoked one of the EU’s biggest political crises. The proposals were passed Thursday in a series of votes. They were approved with an average two-thirds majority. They include an emergency plan that would oblige the 27 EU nations to help one of their number should that country’s reception capacities be overwhelmed by the sudden arrival of people hoping to enter. The move sets a clock ticking. The member countries now have a year to finally reform their creaking asylum system before Europe-wide elections are held in May 2024.