Their first priority must be to stabilise the crisis that began with the fallout from the Syrian civil war. That would require the EU to impose much stricter external border controls, while helping Mediterranean countries, the first ports of call, to accommodate asylum-seekers and process their applications. Mrs Merkel has promised to do more to help Greece and Italy cope, and today she will attend a summit in Vienna, where Balkan countries will also demand aid, especially Macedonia, which has declared a state of emergency.