The two-day meeting did not wrap up until 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Denmark, Italy and Poland in particular had spent a long time pushing for tougher migration measures in a joint statement issued at the meeting.
The irritation was primarily directed at Spain’s decision earlier this year to allow people who had been in the country without permission to apply for formal residence permits valid for one year - something Denmark and others have pointed to as a factor that attracts migrants.
Despite the disagreement, Spain and Italy have agreed to let the extra controls they imposed on each other last summer expire soon, the AFP news agency reports.