The EU called for stronger borders after nearly 70,000 people entered the Spanish African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco.
The chaos caused 83 deaths and strained relations among EU members: Italy halted its Schengen open-border agreement, and the Czech prime minister called for Spain to be temporarily suspended from the passport-free zone.
Ceuta, across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar from the Spanish mainland, is not part of Schengen, but the European Commission president said the episode required “a common European response.”
Morocco does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta, which has been ruled from Madrid for nearly 500 years; the presence of the enclave on its border makes migration “a powerful bargaining chip” for Rabat, the Financial Times reported.