Emmanuel Macron has suffered one of the biggest setbacks in his six years as French president after his immigration bill was thrown out of parliament without even being heard.

Macron’s bill, which was intended to show he “can take tough measures on migration while keeping France’s doors open to foreign workers who can help the economy”, was defeated in a preliminary vote earlier this week, said The Guardian. It was an “unprecedented show of unity” between opposing sides of parliament who came together to defeat the bill, because it proved too extreme for the left and not far-reaching enough for the right, said Gavin Mortimer in The Spectator.

But France is far from the only European government being “menaced” by the issue of migration. Like Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives, “the divisions within Macron’s party have been exposed by the question” of how to deal with high levels of migration. And like the British prime minister, leaders across Europe are desperately trying to find solutions to the issue.

What are countries in Europe doing?

Many countries across Europe have tightened their border controls in the wake of growing immigration numbers. France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway and Sweden are among those beefing up security on certain borders, which usually allow for free, unfettered movement under the Schengen agreement.

The measures taken by Germany led to the number of illegal migrants falling “sharply” last month, said The Telegraph, with the issue one of the “fiercest public debates” currently taking place in the country. There is also a “major shift in tone” from the German government on immigration compared to the Angela Merkel era, with the Olaf Scholz-led coalition government introducing stricter measures along land borders.