Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) has said he wants to get to the bottom of what happened in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta on Thursday, when thousands of migrants tried to enter from Morocco by sea.
He made the remarks on Tuesday in an interview shortly before an EU leaders’ summit on the incident.
De Wever said the events in Ceuta gave the impression that migration could be used as a geopolitical weapon by anyone seeking to put pressure on Europe.
"That is particularly frustrating," he said, arguing that the meeting of EU leaders was needed to establish exactly what had happened.
He also expressed understanding for calls from several countries to exclude Spain from the Schengen area, where people and goods can move freely.
"At the same time, it is clear that Europe must close its borders," he said.
De Wever also said his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sánchez, who has often taken a more pro-migration stance, still had the right to pursue the policies on which he had been democratically elected.
Over the weekend, Spain condemned the "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction of some EU countries to the influx of migrants from Morocco.
Italy temporarily suspended the EU's border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain, with Finland and Denmark having backed Italy's move. Czech PM Andrej Babiš also urged a temporary suspension of Spain's Schengen membership.
