EU claims a migration deal breakthrough after years of talks

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union negotiators have clinched a deal on the main parts of an overhaul of the bloc’s outdated asylum rules. Wednesday’s breakthrough paves the way for a definitive agreement to be reached before EU-wide elections in June. After a night of negotiations, the EU’s Spanish presidency said that envoys from member countries, the bloc’s parliament and the European Commission reached a deal on the core political elements of the Pact on Asylum and Migration. The pact was touted as the answer to the EU’s migration woes. But little progress was made as member states bickered over which country should take charge of migrants when they arrive and whether other countries should be obligated to help.