On Thursday, the European Union organised yet another summit – the fourth this year – to discuss the issue of migration.

European Union leaders agreed to boost the protection of its borders and gave Frontex more clout to deport people who do not qualify for asylum. The summit was characterised by bickering and infighting as countries who have taken in a large number of migrants expect more from Eastern EU members.

EU Council President Donald Tusk said that Frontex will be bolstered, but the attention seems to be shifting further away from the central Mediterranean and towards Greece and Turkey.

Despite earlier pledged to throw more money at the problem, EU members have yet to come up with the goods to alleviate the pressure on nations that are facing an influx of asylum seekers from Syria and dealing with the problem at its root cause in Africa.

Last time round, EU leaders agreed to stump €1.8 billion for African countries to better manage their borders, but only three nations have pledged a total of €12 million.

There is no doubt that we are rapidly heading to the crisis tipping point. The sea routes from Libya are much less plied in winter as the high seas are a recipe for certain death. The eastern routes from Turkey to some Greek islands, however, will remain in operation as the distance is much shorter, about an hour’s sailing time.

But the weather is still playing havoc. Migrants are unprepared for the cold snaps on the Continent as they try and make it to Central European nations and many are getting caught up in rainstorms as they make their way over fields and highways. Some, especially the very young and very old, have suffered hypothermia.

During the summit before this one, the EU reached a deal on burden sharing through a majority vote – the first time it has ever done such a thing. Consensus does not always work and the way the EU is handling the migrant crisis leaves much to be desired. It’s the same story every time. Outrage every time there is a catastrophe and a follow up summit to supposedly find a lasting solution. Agreements are (reluctantly) made and never implemented. It is incredible to think that the picture of Aylan stirred so much emotion a month or so ago, and that we have again ground to a crunching halt. It is becoming abundantly clear that there is no clear solution to this problem. What is certain is that Europe’s Colonial sins from its past is coming back to haunt it. The solution to this problem will not be found in one year or a decade, it is going to take a very long time. The only way that we can stop this flow is to facilitate progress in the countries of origin. It is only when people have a happy and fulfilling life in their own countries that they will stop wanting to come to Europe. How many summits is it going to take to get that in motion?