Europe must respond to immigration with a common approach - Spain PM

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez review the guard of honour at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday said the only way to respond to immigration would be through a common European approach and that EU countries must share the burden amongst them.

Germany is seeking direct deals with separate EU states on migration, its Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday.

On Tuesday, standing alongside his German counterpart Merkel in Berlin, Sanchez pledged to work closely with Germany on finding common solutions regarding immigration.

Since Mediterranean arrivals spiked in 2015, when more than a million refugees and migrants reached the bloc, EU leaders have been at odds over how to handle them.

The feud has weakened their unity and undermined Europe's Schengen free-travel area.

(Reporting By Jesús Aguado; editing by Paul Day)