Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz talks to journalists as he arrives to an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024.

BRUSSELS (AP) -- European Union leaders used a summit Thursday to seek ways to make the bloc a more hostile destination for migrants and asylum seekers following a recent surge in support for the extreme right, which has fomented opposition to foreigners.

As the summit opened in Brussels, EU leaders were already looking at plans to speed up initiatives to get unwanted migrants out of the bloc and process asylum applications far outside their borders, seeking to buttress a reputation as a "Fortress Europe."