Sweden has brought in temporary border checks to control the flow of migrants into the country.
It said it took the step because a surge in new arrivals had resulted in a threat to public order.
At a summit in Malta, EU Council President Donald Tusk said that saving the EU's Schengen rules on free movement was a "race against time".
The EU has agreed to a €1.8bn (£1.3bn) fund to help Africa tackle "the root causes of irregular migration".
But some African leaders have already criticised the sum being offered as insufficient.
Some 150,000 people from African countries such as Eritrea, Nigeria and Somalia have crossed the Mediterranean from Africa this year, but this has been dwarfed by the arrival of some 650,000 people - mostly Syrians - via Turkey and Greece.
Tensions in the EU have been rising because of the pressures faced by those countries where most migrants initially arrive, particularly Greece, Italy and Hungary. Many then head to Germany or Sweden - the two nations regarded as the most welcoming to refugees - to claim asylum.
Mr Tusk said recent developments in Sweden, Germany, Slovenia and elsewhere had shown "with utmost clarity the huge pressure member states are facing".
'Another system' needed
Sweden said the temporary controls came into effect at midday local time on Thursday and will last initially for 10 days.
Checks began on trains crossing the Oresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark and at terminals for ferries arriving from Denmark and Germany. Police indicated not all vehicles crossing the bridge would be checked.
Nearly 200,000 migrants are expected to arrive in Sweden this year, more per head of population than any other EU nation.
"This is not an issue for one or two or three countries - this is an issue for the whole European Union," Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said at the Malta talks. "We need another system - that is obvious."
Sweden said the temporary controls came into effect at midday local time on Thursday and will last initially for 10 days.
Checks began on trains crossing the Oresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark and at terminals for ferries arriving from Denmark and Germany. Police indicated not all vehicles crossing the bridge would be checked.
Nearly 200,000 migrants are expected to arrive in Sweden this year, more per head of population than any other EU nation.
"This is not an issue for one or two or three countries - this is an issue for the whole European Union," Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said at the Malta talks. "We need another system - that is obvious."
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34794422
