On the 4th, EU interior ministers held an urgent meeting to discuss the recent migration challenges in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, as reported by special correspondent Wang Yi.
On August 1st, a Spanish soldier escorted a group of migrants back to the border area of Ceuta near Morocco. Over 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco last week.
According to Euractiv on the 4th, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska was the first to speak under the meeting’s agenda. He had prepared himself for criticism from other EU nations during the emergency session. In the wake of the crisis, Italy and Denmark led an initiative where leaders from 22 EU member states submitted a joint letter to EU institutions, expressing “serious concern” over the Ceuta situation. Several EU countries harshly criticized the Spanish government, accusing it of failing to properly manage the influx of tens of thousands of undocumented migrants into Ceuta.
Politico Europe reported on the 4th that sources indicated Marlaska would criticize some EU countries for turning this crisis into an attack on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, rather than supporting an EU member state facing an emergency. He was set to present Madrid’s assessment of the situation and call for a joint European response.
Several EU diplomats told Politico that the meeting would focus on drawing lessons from the Ceuta crisis, enhancing control of the EU’s external borders, and preventing similar incidents, rather than apportioning blame. Meanwhile, some diplomats cautioned that the emergency session could see political confrontations. This follows a “rant-like speech” by the Spanish representative at a preparatory meeting on the 3rd, lasting 30 minutes, accusing other EU nations of lacking solidarity. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told the media on the 3rd that Madrid would demand greater unity from European partners at the meeting. He also criticized Rome for requesting Spain’s exclusion from the Schengen Area, stating it failed to “see the bigger picture.”
