Fifty thousand migrants entered Ceuta in one week

About 50,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta in one week at the end of July. Ceuta is one of only two places where the EU shares a land border with Africa. Most migrants were returned to Morocco by Spanish and Moroccan police. None reached mainland Spain.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for stronger EU border controls after the crisis. She wants better cooperation with non-EU countries, stronger external borders, and tougher action against smuggling networks.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected criticism from other EU countries, calling their responses selfish and unlawful. Twenty-two EU member states, led by Italy and Denmark, signed a letter demanding joint action on irregular migration. The incident is the first big test of the EU's new migration rules, which came into force in June.