European Union member states engaged in heated discussions at a summit in Brussels, as deep divisions over migration policy surfaced following a recent surge of arrivals in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. The emergency talks convened after an estimated 60,000 migrants swam from Morocco into Ceuta last week, overwhelming border security.
During the meeting, Spain reportedly expressed bitterness towards other EU nations that had criticized Madrid's handling of the external border. According to one diplomat, Spain presented its account of the events, with some remarks tinged with resentment towards certain member states that had voiced criticism.
Other countries, in turn, pressed Spain for assurances on preventing a recurrence of the incident and demanded verification of the numbers of migrants returned to Morocco and those permitted to remain in Ceuta. A subsequent meeting of home affairs and justice ministers is scheduled.
Last week's events saw approximately 60,000 individuals reach Ceuta, a Spanish territory bordering Morocco. By Friday night, around 48,000 were reported to have been returned to Morocco. The influx resulted in at least 57 deaths, attributed to drowning or injuries sustained at the border fence.
The crisis prompted calls from some European leaders to temporarily suspend Spain from the Schengen free-travel zone, a move that drew a strong reaction from Madrid. EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, in a letter to Spanish officials, emphasized that border protection is a shared responsibility and highlighted the need to strengthen EU borders at critical points through surveillance and physical barriers.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had previously criticized 22 EU leaders for signing a letter expressing concern over the threat to the EU's border. These leaders had also raised objections to his government's decision to grant legal status to up to 1.2 million irregular migrants, suggesting it acted as a 'pull factor' contributing to the Ceuta crisis. Madrid has refuted this claim, noting that no migrants are believed to have reached the EU mainland from Ceuta.