- European ministers held emergency talks after nearly 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta last week, with Spain reporting that 70,000 have since returned.
- More than 80 people died during the surge, and Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that member states recognised Madrid's "immediate and efficient" response to the crisis.
- The talks aimed to present a united front, with ministers condemning efforts to use the crisis to divide the bloc, while the EU’s migration chief Magnus Brunner attributed the surge to criminal smuggling networks and social media disinformation.
- Italy's interior minister Matteo Piantedosi called for new EU-funded migrant processing centres and return hubs in safe third countries, as hundreds of migrants, including 862 minors, remain in Ceuta.
- The crisis intensified long-standing disputes over border controls and asylum rules within the EU, with member states affirming their unity and readiness to support Spain in protecting external borders from illegal migration.
IN FULL
