More than 70,000 people swam or waded into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco over a few hours at the end of last week. The exact circumstances of how the border came to be open are currently unclear.
At least 88 people died during the events, with some drowning and others being trampled. By Monday, the majority of those who arrived in Ceuta had returned to Morocco. Many of those remaining on the streets of the city were unaccompanied children.
Italy and Denmark jointly accused Spain of failing to secure the EU's only land border with Africa. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suspended Schengen rights for travellers entering Italy from Spain. Meloni and Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen wrote to the EU, calling for emergency talks to tighten the bloc's external borders, gaining the support of all but five of the 27 EU leaders.
Spain's Pedro Sánchez protested what he described as the "selfish, polarising and unlawful" response from his EU allies. By Tuesday, EU justice and home affairs ministers publicly downplayed their split, though Brussels criticised Spain's amnesty for undocumented migrants as "not a good signal for the rest of Europe."
Ministers endorsed a plan to strengthen Europe's external borders, including an early warning system and improved cooperation with non-EU countries on migration.