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EU must rise to challenge on migration, EU Commission chief says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European commissioners Schinas and Johansson brief the press after the college of EU commissioners

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union must agree a system to handle migrants over the long term, European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, saying the recent fire in the migrant camp on the Greek island Lesbos was "a stark reminder" of the need to act.

"Migration is complex, the old system to deal with it in Europe no longer works," von der Leyen said in a statement to the media as the Commission presented a new proposal.

"We need to find sustainable solutions on migration," she said. "Moria is a stark reminder," she said of the Lesbos fire.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, writing by Robin Emmott)