Several governments criticised the extraordinary regularisation Spain carried out in spring 2026, warning it could encourage further irregular arrivals, while Ursula von der Leyen called for coordination within Schengen.
El Mundo reported that Italy, Denmark and Poland pushed for a harsher migration text, and that Pedro Sánchez refused any reference to Spain's regularisation.
The conclusions note the special situation of Ceuta and Melilla following the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July 2026, and express solidarity with Spain.
Macron said France did not sign the critical letter signed by 22 countries, and asked other leaders to show solidarity with Spain and thanked Morocco for its cooperation.
Heads of state and government of the 27 EU countries met in Brussels on Friday, 16 October 2026, for a two-day summit where migration dominated the agenda. Spain's extraordinary regularisation of irregular migrants, carried out in spring 2026, drew criticism from several governments, who warned it could encourage further irregular arrivals. Ursula von der Leyen said such decisions are a national competence but can have cross-border effects, so coordination and close cooperation within the Schengen area matter. Speaking at a press conference after the summit, she said the Commission was ready to support strengthening an existing mechanism for exchanging information on national migration decisions with cross-border consequences, without giving further details. She described migration as a European challenge that requires European solutions.
Before the summit, Giorgia Meloni, Mette Frederiksen and the Dutch prime minister, Rob Jetten, hosted a breakfast on migration attended by 18 countries, without Spain, and by von der Leyen. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, was among the leaders who defended the need for the EU to be able to suspend asylum procedures in crises such as the one in Ceuta in July, or when third states use migration as a tool. Meloni said in a social media message that she had stressed the need for high vigilance over the EU's external borders, citing recent events in Ceuta. Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands are already working together on the first externalised deportation centres in non-EU countries, though they have not named the host country. Inside the summit, Meloni and Frederiksen sought wording asking Brussels to explore measures that could encourage coordination when member states apply national measures with an impact on partners.
LaSexta reported that Frederiksen, after speaking with Meloni before the session began, walked straight to Sánchez's seat and urged the Commission, without naming Spain, to examine a country that does the opposite of other members, where people enter illegally and are then allowed to stay legally. The same report said Sánchez acknowledged discrepancies but stressed the need for a diversity of opinions in Europe. Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš accused some politicians, without naming Spain's leaders directly, of being willing to replace the population to keep their posts, and warned his country might have to reinforce its borders against migrants from other Western European states. Austria and Denmark also criticised Spain's migration policy at the summit. Emmanuel Macron asked other member states to show solidarity with Spain, said France had not signed the letter signed by 22 countries after the Ceuta crisis, described what happened as an information attack, thanked Morocco for its cooperation, and asked leaders to avoid politicising the debate.
El Mundo reported that Italy, Denmark and Poland had pushed for a much tougher migration text criticising measures that encourage irregular arrivals, such as Spain's mass regularisation, and that the draft had broad support among many countries. According to diplomatic sources cited by El Mundo, Sánchez refused to include any reference to that process, and France and Portugal reportedly backed him afterwards. The final conclusions do recognise the special situation of Ceuta and Melilla, which the text describes as the EU's only land border with Africa, and express solidarity and support with Spain over the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July 2026. They also welcome the financial and operational support the EU is giving Spain. Sánchez told the press conference that much remained to be done, but he called the political step taken with these conclusions an important one.
“Europe is more present today than it has ever been in Ceuta and Melilla, because both cities are also Europe.”
Sánchez presented the text as recognition from leaders and EU institutions alike, even as several governments continued to press for a harder line.
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Leaders at the Brussels summit criticised Spain's extraordinary regularisation of irregular migrants, while the conclusions recognised the special situation of Ceuta and Melilla. Pedro Sánchez said Europe is more present in both cities than ever before.
AI text based on reports by ABC TU DIARIO EN ESPAÑOL, LaSexta, EL MUNDO and other publishers. Changed .