Migration is taking center stage again in the European Union, as Brussels returns to work after a summer marked by the major crisis of recent years.
Over 70,000 irregular migrants entered the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in a single day on 30 July, more than all other irregular entries across all European borders so far in 2026, sparking a political crisis in Spain and putting other member states on alert.
The Ceuta crisis increased pressure on the EU to implement its strategy to tighten the rules for asylum seekers and speed up returns, but it also highlighted the shortcomings of the new migration rules as they face their first real stress test.
EU leaders are expected to debate the topic in October at the European Council in Brussels, the culmination of a season of heated discussions through formal and informal meetings of interior ministers and ambassadors.
Schengen in trouble
