European Commission Responds Firmly as Ceuta Faces Migrant Crisis in Spain

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for a “united effort” to strengthen border security following the uncontrolled entry of hundreds of thousands of migrants from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta last week. According to Spanish estimates, approximately 69,500 migrants who entered Ceuta have since returned to Morocco, an increase from the initially estimated 50,000 returns. Government officials reported that the border between Spain and Morocco has witnessed the deaths of 72 people on the Spanish side and 11 on the Moroccan side.

In response to this situation, interior ministers of the European Union (EU) are preparing to hold an emergency meeting via videoconference on Tuesday to discuss the issue. The Ceuta incident has caused tensions among the EU’s 27 member states. In a letter addressed to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, von der Leyen praised him for “managing the crisis promptly.”

“This event has made it clear that we must reinforce our border security in vulnerable areas,” she noted. Following complications at the border between the two countries after the Ceuta incident, Italy has temporarily suspended its ‘Schengen’ agreement with Spain. Finland and Denmark have expressed support for Italy’s decision, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has called for Spain’s Schengen membership to be temporarily suspended.

In the letter sent to the Spanish Prime Minister, von der Leyen emphasized, “The security of all our external borders is a shared European responsibility,” advocating for vigilant monitoring and the strategic use of physical barriers as necessary. She highlighted the need for the European Union to double its efforts in five key areas to strengthen border security.