EU leaders clash over immigration at Brussels summit

Spain, with its large program to regularize undocumented migrants, faced Italy and Denmark, which back a hard line. Both had demanded Spain be kept out of the Schengen area at the height of the Ceuta crisis.

Background

It was the leaders' first meeting since late July, when tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, the Spanish enclave.

"When we politicize this debate around the table, we divide. When we divide and go back to national solutions, we are ineffective."

— Emmanuel Macron, president of France

Partners under consideration

• Rwanda
• Uganda
• Ghana
• Uzbekistan

The EU now lets member states send rejected asylum seekers to return hubs outside its borders, and Denmark and Germany want first deals by year's end. France doubts the idea works.