A landmark bill intended to overhaul migration policy across the European Union cleared its final hurdle on Wednesday after being approved by the European Parliament.
The bill, which took much of the last decade to negotiate, aims to make it easier for member states to deport rejected asylum seekers and to limit the entry of migrants into the bloc. It would also give governments greater control over their borders, while strengthening the EU's role in managing migration, treating it as a European issue, which no member state needs to tackle alone.
European officials and politicians were intent on approving the legislation before the European elections in early June.
This is a developing story.