Europe is trying to solve deep divisions over the influx of migrants. And the president of the European Commission has convened an emergency meeting. It was called a "mini summit" - but as CGTN's Mariam Zaidi reports - big steps are needed to resolve an intensifying rift on EU migration policy. 

On Sunday as a German rescue ship carrying hundreds of migrants remained stranded at sea due a dispute between Italy and Malta over responsibility over in Brussels a life-line was being thrown to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker hastily convened a mini-migration summit of 16 EU leaders at the behest of Germany's Chancellor. Merkel has found herself under increasing pressure domestically to come up with new solutions on migration.

But the bigger crisis for the EU is arguably Italy's new populist government which says it will no longer allow Italy to be a "holding camp" for EU migrants.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR "This search for a 'modus vivendi' and continued work toward having a joint European solution is at the center of today's talks."

As he arrived, the Dutch Prime Minister made his view clear. This summit would produce no grand accomplishments.

MARK RUTTE, DUTCH PRIME MINISTER "Today there will be no concrete outcome of the meeting. For the Netherlands, what we would like to add is that it's important for us to reduce the danger of people crossing the Mediterranean sea. We need to protect the people in real need of asylum and we need to push back economic migrants to reduce the pressure on Italy and Greece."

The EU says it's working to create a regional disembarkation program. The idea is that initial screening of migrants in North African countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Niger or Morocco would stop them from going on to Italy and help the EU separate economic migrants from refugees. More money would also be poured into securing the EU's external borders. But would such a program show the EU was losing its grip on humanity.

ANDREJ PLENKOVIC, CROTIAN PRIME MINISTER "The EU is financing lots of refugees settlements in Turkey, a lot of humanitarian and development aid that is going to Northern Africa, Sub-Saharan African, Middle Eastern countries. I don't think we can call the EU as someone who is losing its role when it comes to humanity and protection of human rights. On the contrary. The idea is to invigorate the concept to solve the problem at its source. And that is where the illegal migrants come from rather than bringing the problem within EU borders."

MARIAM ZAIDI, BRUSSELS "This mini-summit was meant to lay the ground for concrete solutions on migration at the big EU summit from Thursday in Brussels with all 28 leaders. But on Sunday Angela Merkel conceded that an agreement on migration between all leaders was unlikely to come next week. Mariam Zaidi, CGTN Brussels."