EU commissioner urges opponents of UN migration pact to join it

EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has called on member countries that have turned against a UN-backed migration pact to reconsider their opposition, AP said. A conference in Marrakech, Morocco on December 10-11 is due to approve the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which was finalized in July with only the US staying out. The non-binding accord is drawing strong opposition, and EU countries including Hungary, Austria, and Poland have since pulled out or expressed reservations. Avramopoulos was quoted on Monday by German daily Die Welt as saying that he doesn’t understand opposition to the pact. He urged countries rejecting the accord to rethink their opposition in the coming days and join up.