Rome, Aug 2 (IANS) A meeting of European Union (EU) Interior Ministers on the emergency migrant crisis going on in Spain’s Ceuta enclave has been convened for Tuesday.
The meeting was requested in a letter signed by 22 European countries, led by Italy and Denmark, but without France and Portugal, the two countries bordering Spain, Italian News Agency Adnkronos reported.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen received the letter from the 22 countries and from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, accepting the request for an emergency videoconference to assess the crisis. She reiterated that combating illegal migration requires solidarity and a united European response.
She then spoke about the situation in Ceuta, confirming that no migrant who arrived in recent days managed to reach mainland Spain or other EU countries. The vast majority have already returned to Morocco. Von der Leyen emphasised the need to strengthen border control, maintain vigilance at every crossing, and ensure close coordination among authorities. The Commission has offered immediate support to Spain.
Prime Minister Sanchez sent a letter to the EU to criticise the positions of some countries on the Ceuta migration crisis, requesting an urgent summit of Interior Ministers. The move comes after Italy’s suspension of Schengen with Spain. He asks the Irish Presidency for an extraordinary meeting to reiterate that the security of external borders is a shared responsibility. Sanchez asserted that Madrid has re-established border control, assisted migrants, repatriated “practically all” irregular arrivals, and prevented movements to other countries with little European support. He also defended the Spanish migration policy, which has reduced irregular entries, making Spain the “second safest external border of the EU”.
Sanchez criticised the proposal to temporarily exclude Spain from Schengen as “selfish” and “illegitimate”, calling it the result of “prejudices or political interests”. He emphasised that Ceuta is not in the Schengen area and that the Spanish border is among the least porous in the EU.
–IANS
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