EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the bloc could “draw lessons” from the contested Italian policy of processing migrants offshore in Albania ahead of an EU summit focusing on migration.

She made the remarks in a letter to member states ahead of the meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, where she said the European Commission would present a new proposal for legislation to increase deportations of migrants.

Von der Leyen - who is just starting a second five-year term as European Commission chief - appears to be responding to pressure on migration from across Europe.

In her letter to member states, she said the return rate of irregular migrants from EU countries is currently only about 20% - meaning the vast majority of people who are ordered to leave an EU member state do not.