EU member states agreed to tighten their border management, expand information sharing, step up efforts to dismantle human trafficking networks, and strengthen cooperation with Morocco and other partner countries to curb migration flows before they reach the EU.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said the crisis in Ceuta is a test of the EU's Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Ministers agreed to accelerate implementation of the pact, focusing on migrant registration and screening, responsibility-sharing among member states, and increasing the return of people who do not qualify to remain in the EU.
Italy proposed establishing EU-funded migrant reception and processing centers in third countries to ease pressure on the bloc's external borders while Greece called for an emergency response mechanism to deal with large-scale migration crises. Both proposals remain under discussion and have not yet been endorsed by member states.
