Immigration is ahead of Brexit at top of EU leaders' summit agenda
It was not that long ago that the June summit in Brussels was being billed as a potentially seismic moment for assessing Brexit progress.
Now the B-word will struggle to get a mention amid the cacophony of other topics crowding the space in EU leaders' minds.
Yes, Theresa May will raise her most tortuous political topic at dinner this evening where she will seek to persuade the other guests she can get her cabinet to agree on the UK's future relationship with the EU and that she will at some point next month commit that to paper.
Yes, the other EU 27 will take stock and adopt conclusions assessing the state of play once she's left the building.
But aside from saying there has really been no progress on critical issues like the Irish border, there will be nothing more definitive coming out.
Instead, migration, a trade war with Washington, Russia, the Eurozone, security and defence will play large.
And it is migration which is set to get the most traction, as European Council President Donald Tusk made clear in his letter to leaders ahead of the Brussels gathering.
He said: "The debate on migration is becoming increasingly heated and it is set to be the main point on the agenda."
Increasingly heated is right, given the almighty row which unfolded recently when both Italy and Malta refused to allow the Aquarius charity ship to dock with 630 migrants on board.
And so heads of state will be asked to back the setting up of regional disembarkation points outside Europe to stop the flow of people, to sanction an EU budget dedicated to combating illegal migration and to agree greater cooperation with countries like Libya where migrants and refugees are coming from.
That's the stuff on the agenda. What Italy and Malta will be pushing for is promises from other EU leaders that they will take in a greater share of migrants and asylum seekers.
It is a thorny area for many around the table. Angela Merkel will need to choose her words carefully.
Damaged at home by her former open-door migration policy, her coalition is now shaky with her main political partner warning if she doesn't return from the Belgian capital with a workable solution to stop illegal migrants entering Germany he will "slam" the borders shut. No pressure then.
Perhaps there will be greater unity on Russia. An area where Mrs May hopes to have a significant voice.
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