London | European leaders have ridden the wave of populist pressure on immigration, with the European Union and France setting down heavily beefed-up measures to deter and remove migrants.

The EU on Wednesday ended an epic 27-country wrangle with a set of measures that some leaders lauded as “historic” and “a major breakthrough”. The new rules would quickly shift illegal migrants into detention centres, process their claims within 12 weeks then rapidly deport those whose bids fail.