Key facts
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged EU leaders to adopt tougher migration measures.
- She called for an emergency response framework for weaponized migration.
- Von der Leyen proposed expanding the powers of the EU's border agency Frontex.
- An increased deportation rate was also among the proposed measures.
- The letter follows a migration crisis in Ceuta where 70,000 migrants arrived from Morocco.
- The proposals will be discussed at the European Council summit.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has written to EU leaders calling for a series of stringent measures to address illegal migration ahead of the upcoming European Council summit. The proposals include establishing an emergency response framework to counter migration weaponization, enhancing the capabilities of the EU's border agency Frontex, and boosting the bloc's deportation rate.
These recommendations come in the wake of a significant migration influx into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta during the summer, which saw approximately 70,000 arrivals from Morocco. Von der Leyen emphasized the need to prevent such destabilizing threats and stated that the Union would not compromise on the protection of its external borders.