Spanish PM Rebukes ‘Selfish’ EU Allies Over Ceuta Backlash
File photo of a fenced breakwaters between Moroccoa and Ceuta, Spain. Photo Credit: Mario Sánchez Bueno, Wikipedia Commons
Key Takeaways:
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused several EU governments of acting out of “prejudice” and undermining European solidarity after they pushed for internal Schengen border controls in response to the mass migrant arrivals in Ceuta.
- More than 50,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco, but Spain says it restored control within 48 hours, provided humanitarian aid, and facilitated the voluntary return of nearly 48,300 people.
- Italy, Denmark, Finland and 20 other EU leaders called for stronger internal borders and criticized Spain’s migration policies, while Sánchez insisted external border security is a shared European responsibility.
(EurActiv) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has accused several EU governments of acting out of “prejudice” and undermining European solidarity after they called for internal Schengen border controls in response to the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta.
In a letter sent on Saturday to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, whose country currently holds the rotating Council presidency, Sánchez expressed his “serious concern” over the reaction of some European capitals.
Italy, Denmark and Finland were among the nations asking to impose internal borders after more than 50,000 migrants entered from Morocco into the Spanish overseas enclave of Ceuta, on the North African coast, between Thursday and Friday. Italy then went ahead and did so on Friday.
The Spanish leader said the response from some European capitals was “driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest… contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together.”
Sánchez insisted Spain had already brought the situation under control.
“In less than 48 hours, my Government has succeeded in fully restoring control over the border, in providing extensive humanitarian assistance, in returning virtually all of the migrants who crossed irregularly, and in preventing any unauthorised onward movement towards continental Europe.”
Data released by the Spanish Interior Ministry on Friday revealed that nearly 48,300 people voluntarily returned to Morocco, largely due to severe food and water shortages caused by widespread business closures amid fears of looting and rioting.
Also on Saturday, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen penned a letter to the EU leadership, writing that a recent ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court has “been used to trigger this attack and abuse our migration and asylum system.”
“We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible. That a migrant’s illegal entry can turn into legal stay,” the pair wrote.
The letter was also backed by 20 other leaders of EU countries, including Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Belgium’s Bart De Wever, and Poland’s Donald Tusk.
While the leaders acknowledged that no migrants had left Ceuta to reach the rest of the EU, they said they are ready to bolster the EU’s internal borders and introduce temporary controls there to “safeguard public order.”
The leaders also criticised Sánchez’s move to regularise hundreds of thousands of migrants in Spain, describing it as a pull factor.
Von der Leyen said she received the letter, and appeared to agree with its tone, writing in a social media post that “we need a lessons learned process to improve our European resilience.”
She also appeared to defend the European Commission’s attitude to Spain during the crisis, stating: “The Commission has offered support to Spain from the first moment.”
Bar Ireland, and Spain, the only countries that didn’t sign the leaders’ letter were France, Portugal, and Luxembourg.
Ireland will convene the EU’s interior ministers on Tuesday for an emergency videoconference to coordinate a European response, Martin announced on Saturday.
Tensions could well boil over at the meeting, between Spain and other countries.
In his letter, Sánchez said the online ministers’ meeting should “reaffirm that the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all Member States, and not only of those on the Union’s front line.”
But the 22 leaders, in their letter, wrote that the meeting was needed to consider strengthening support from EU border agency Frontex – something Spain has not requested – and consider the “effectiveness of EU cooperation with Morocco.”
EU countries’ ambassadors will meet for an online meeting on Monday to prepare the ministerial meeting.
Spain’s biggest migration crisis
Spain has faced its biggest migration crisis to date, with the army deployed in Ceuta, and borders closed in its other exclave of Melilla.
Sánchez said Spain’s “national integrity had been violated” and announced “all resources” will be deployed to restore normality in the small Spanish exclave.
While Madrid and Rabat officially blamed human trafficking networks for the crisis, Spanish experts accuse Morocco of intentionally allowing thousands to storm the border. Local media reported 67 deaths.
Despite this, Sánchez praised “close coordination” with Rabat, noting a lack of support from European allies.
Sánchez’s pro-migration policies have been criticised by other European capitals, particularly Rome. Ceuta – Europe’s only land border with Africa – is not part of the Schengen area and maintains its own border and security checks, the premier noted.
“In the current international context, the European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction,” he said.
Theophane Hartmann contributed reporting.
Spain's African exclave Ceuta calms after mass crossing that killed at least 67
The Spanish enclave of Ceuta regained a measure of calm after a mass crossing of thousands of Moroccans that left at least 67 people dead, as arrivals from Morocco slowed to sporadic attempts, El País reported on August 1.
The crisis has exposed Spain to a fresh confrontation over migration policy and its management of the North African enclaves, straining relations with Rabat and igniting a domestic political row weeks after a Supreme Court ruling curbed summary returns.
Up to 60,000 Moroccans reached the enclave over several days, the highest numbers on record, with the peak on July 30 however the majority have been returned in recent hours, according to police authorities.
Migrants have been returning by the same route since July 31 they added, and Moroccan agents completed a closure of the border in the afternoon. Spanish security forces deployed a pneumatic barrier about 500 metres long beside the Tarajal border breakwater to slow further arrivals.
The mass entry left the city on edge, with the army deployed and the Civil Guard organising the flows. Shops, bars and petrol stations that had shut began to reopen cautiously.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government blamed the crisis in part on a Supreme Court ruling three weeks ago that barred summary returns of migrants intercepted at sea while trying to swim to the enclaves, and on trafficking networks.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska praised cooperation from Rabat, said Morocco was not a threat and said the government had reversed the situation within 24 hours.
Civil Guard maritime officers and divers worked to recover bodies off the Tarajal border, where the death toll continued to rise through the day.
"There are more dead in the sea," a police source said.
Humanitarian organisations warned that extending the barrier out to sea would force those attempting to swim across further into open water, raising the risk of more deaths.
Videos released from July 31 show dozens of men being ushered out in dumper trucks heading towards the Spanish border, leading several to suspect that the mass movement of people was deliberate and organised. Morocco claimed that "criminal gangs" organised the mass movement.
No comments:
Post a Comment