European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen. (Photo: VNA)

The measures are a response to increasing European concern over rising irregular immigration that has become a hot-button issue in several member countries. That problem is "a European challenge that requires a European response," EU leaders said in a final document at the end of a 16-hour summit looking at that and other topics.

The EU leaders called on the commission "to immediately mobilize substantial EU funds" to reinforce that external border with "protection capabilities and infrastructure, means of surveillance, including aerial surveillance, and equipment," according to the summit document.

The summit also reached agreement on a "principle" under which one EU country can use a court decision in another EU member state to return an irregular migrant to their home country. That would try to prevent "asylum shopping" whereby migrants go to a different country to apply to stay after being turned down in an initial one.

The EU leaders also agreed "to increase the use of the safe-country concepts" that will open the way to the bloc formulating a common list.

The bloc is already hosting millions of refugees from conflicts in Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan, while facing asylum claims from citizens of other countries.