EU calls emergency meeting to discuss Ceuta migrant crossings
The EU is holding emergency talks following a surge of 60,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Spain has criticized the reactions of other member states, while 22 nations have called for coordinated action to secure external borders.
Why it matters
The incident exposes deep divisions within the EU regarding migration policy, border security, and the Schengen agreement.
Figure caption, Watch: Migrants started to return to Morocco after thousands entered Spain's Ceuta on 30 July
The European Union will hold emergency talks on Tuesday to discuss the migration crisis in Ceuta after tense exchanges between Spain and other member states.
Twenty-two member states issued a joint letter calling for co-ordinated action and the strengthening of the EU's external borders, after some 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco.
Spain condemned "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction to the crisis after Italy suspended the EU's border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain - a move backed by Finland and Denmark.
Officials say almost all those who reached Ceuta on 30 July have returned, while deaths from the surge in crossings had risen to at least 67.
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