Spanish PM Urges Urgent EU Meeting Over Ceuta Crisis

Pedro Sánchez calls for an urgent EU meeting in response to the crisis at Ceuta, criticizing member states for polarizing reactions.

Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s Prime Minister, has demanded an urgent meeting of EU interior ministers following what he described as a ‘selfish and polarising reaction’ from some member states regarding the mass border crossing into Ceuta from Morocco.

Over two days, more than 50,000 individuals crossed into the Spanish enclave in North Africa, leading to the deaths of at least 67 people during the attempted journey. Many were drowned or crushed as they navigated a breakwater barrier.

Despite the chaos, over 48,000 individuals had voluntarily returned to Morocco by Friday evening, according to Sánchez. This return helped avoid any unauthorized movement towards continental Europe.

However, this incident has sparked a political crisis for the Spanish government, with some countries within the EU calling for Spain’s suspension from the Schengen free-movement zone. Italy, for instance, announced it would suspend its Schengen arrangements with Spain for a month, blaming the border crisis on a recent decision by the Sánchez administration to regularize the status of over one million undocumented migrants.

Sánchez expressed his discontent in a letter addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission; António Costa, the President of the European Council; and Micheál Martin, the Prime Minister of Ireland, which currently holds the EU presidency.

Within his message, he remarked on how “most EU countries” were supportive, while others had opted to attack Spain. The Prime Minister criticized this behavior as contrary to both European and humanitarian laws, as well as the principles of solidarity binding the EU.

He further noted that according to Frontex, Spain commands one of the least porous external borders in the EU, with irregular entries half of what Italy recorded in recent years.

Sánchez emphasized the European Union could not endure this kind of divisive and unlawful reaction. He insisted on the urgent need for a video conference among EU ministers to thoroughly address the crisis.

On Saturday, senior EU officials convened a “political crisis response team” following Ireland’s presidency call. Jim O’Callaghan, Ireland’s Justice Minister, reassured that he was in contact with Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to offer support.

France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, affirmed that his country would not seek Spain’s suspension from Schengen, stating, “It’s absolutely not on the table. We have great cooperation with Spain.”

As of Saturday morning, many who had crossed into Ceuta were making their way back to Morocco amid a heavy police and military presence. One 19-year-old from Senegal expressed the hopes of many, stating, “We hope to go to Europe to work and earn a living – that’s it,” as he waited outside a migrant center in Ceuta.

The situation had remained calm, as reported by the Spanish government, with no notable incidents occurring during Friday night. Control measures have been tightened, including the installation of barriers at the Tarajal beach breakwater.

This recent incident has vastly exceeded the last mass crossing in May 2021, when around 10,000 people entered Ceuta within two days after Morocco relaxed its border controls, an event linked to tensions between Madrid and Rabat over the treatment of a leader of the Western Sahara independence movement in Spain.

Experts have scrutinized the Spanish government’s claim that human-trafficking mafias are primarily responsible for this surge. Mauricio Valiente, director general of the Spanish Refugee Aid Commission, indicated that the circumstances surrounding the crossing do not align with those typically associated with traffickers, suggesting the situation should not be simplified to fit a narrative of organized crime.