The crisis has prompted an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers as member states debate a coordinated response….reports Asian Lite News Desk
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for stronger border controls and physical barriers at key points along the European Union’s external frontiers following a sharp rise in illegal migrant arrivals in Ceuta, Spain’s autonomous city on the North African coast bordering Morocco.
According to local authorities, around 60,000 migrants have entered Ceuta illegally by land and sea over recent days, triggering one of the bloc’s most significant migration emergencies in recent years.
In a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, von der Leyen called for enhanced security measures at critical sections of the EU’s external borders and referred to the existing EU-Morocco migration agreement aimed at preventing similar incidents.
She also reiterated that tackling illegal migration required solidarity among member states and a coordinated European response.
The crisis has prompted an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers, scheduled for August 4. The meeting was requested in a letter signed by 22 EU member states, led by Italy and Denmark. France and Portugal, the two EU countries bordering Spain, did not join the initiative.
Von der Leyen received the request from the 22 countries, along with a separate communication from Sanchez, and agreed to convene an emergency videoconference to assess the situation.
In his letter, Sanchez criticised the stance adopted by some EU countries during the crisis and urged the bloc to hold an extraordinary summit of interior ministers. His appeal came after Italy suspended Schengen arrangements with Spain in response to the migration surge.
Sanchez stressed that protecting the EU’s external borders was a shared responsibility and called for greater European support in managing the crisis.
He said Spain had reinstated border controls, provided assistance to migrants, repatriated “practically all” irregular arrivals and prevented onward movement into other European countries despite receiving limited support from its partners.
The Spanish prime minister also defended his government’s migration policy, arguing that irregular entries had fallen overall and describing Spain as the “second safest external border of the EU.”
Meanwhile, Spain fully deployed a floating sea barrier along Ceuta’s maritime border on Sunday as authorities intensified efforts to prevent further arrivals.
Officials also said the death toll linked to the migration crisis had risen to 72, underscoring the humanitarian impact of the surge.
The emergency discussions among EU interior ministers are expected to focus on strengthening border management, enhancing cooperation with Morocco and coordinating the bloc’s response to the growing migration pressure at its southern frontier.
