Editor's note: Bradley Blankenship is a Prague-based American journalist, political analyst and freelance reporter. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The Special European Council meeting just concluded in Brussels and European leaders addressed the war in Ukraine and migration issues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also invited and asked for more military support for his country. Meanwhile, the ongoing situation in Türkiye and Syria after an earthquake was also discussed.

Asylum seekers and refugees, many from the Middle East, have arrived in Europe in droves. Since mid-December last year, the EU has faced the largest refugee crisis in  over 80 years. Countries including the Czech Republic have introduced border checks to nab undocumented immigrants. Reports suggest that this could continue on until 2032, which is why the European Council is continuing legislative work on a New Pact for Asylum and Migration expected to be concluded by spring 2024.

The pact would implement a more effective mechanism for protecting the EU's borders. Nonetheless, there's significant disagreement among member states, which could lead to more human rights concerns at the borders and entry points, as well as with refugee camps dotted across the continent.

Additionally after the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, there are some concerns for the EU to consider. The Western-imposed sanctions on Syria and Afghanistan are causing many people from these countries to flee from their homeland. The economic destitution from these sanctions is making life unbearable. 

The EU must break away from the sanctions if it hopes to see fewer refugees come to Europe. Likewise, the EU must refrain from joining countries, namely the United States, in their military adventurism that leaves other nations battered. That the war in Syria was spearheaded by covert U.S. operations is a prime example. Europe should not engage in regime change operations if it wants to protect its borders. 

Secondly, natural disasters like the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria could become more frequent due to climate change. We could see devastating floods such as what happened in Pakistan last summer. Climate change might create a wave of refugees from hot locales in the coming decades. Hence, the EU must include climate refugees in its pact.

Climate change can be mitigated by adopting clean energy solutions, and the EU has committed to carbon neutrality in the coming decades. Yet, this is not sufficient to prevent natural disasters. The EU must increase solidarity with other countries to mitigate natural disasters and provide relief for affected countries so people don't flee.

On the other hand, some people could lose their homes and jobs because of climate change. The EU has a shared responsibility to receive climate refugees – which would become more frequent. As one of the largest producers of historical emissions since the industrial revolution, the EU holds a responsibility to rectify that. 

EU politics is complicated. Getting all 27 member states to agree on key legislation is very challenging. But the EU has to mitigate the refugee crisis, while maintaining a humane asylum policy. The pact must adhere to material reality and take into account the deleterious effects of the status quo Western foreign policy and climate change. 

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