A dramatic surge of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta has thrown the European Union into turmoil, exposing deep cracks between member states over how to handle Europe’s borders.
EU interior ministers are set to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to address what Ireland’s EU presidency called “the developments in Ceuta.” The urgent session was demanded by both Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the leaders of 22 of the bloc’s 27 member states though for very different reasons, according to Deutsche Welle. While most European governments are pushing for a tougher, unified response, Sánchez has accused some partner nations of reacting in a way that is “selfish” and “unlawful.”
The crisis erupted after as many as 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta within a single week, arriving by land and sea, according to Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Chaotic scenes unfolded at the border and along the beaches, and at least 67 migrants died attempting the journey, Spanish authorities said. Since then, nearly all who arrived have returned to Morocco, with Spain deploying a 500-meter floating barrier offshore. Officials, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, insist not a single person reached mainland Spain or the rest of the EU.
What sparked the sudden influx remains murky. Sánchez blamed rumors spread by smuggling networks falsely suggesting the border had opened. Germany’s Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil went further, calling it an apparently orchestrated attempt to divide Europe, insisting unity with Spain must now come first.
In a joint letter, 22 EU leaders organized by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen demanded a swift, coordinated European response, warning against any impression that illegal entry could later be legalized, an implicit jab at Spain’s liberal migration policy. France and Portugal notably declined to sign.
Meloni, who had floated suspending Schengen rules against Spain, saw Italy briefly reinstate border checks with Spain, a move Madrid dismissed as “demagogic,” and one legal experts say Schengen rules don’t even permit.
Sánchez, for his part, warned the EU cannot afford a “selfish, divisive, and unlawful” response, stressing his government’s cooperation with Morocco resolved the crisis swiftly. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called it “a stress test we passed,” urging the EU to prioritize external border protection and partnerships beyond Europe to curb illegal migration and counter dangerous disinformation.
