Spanish PM urges EU unity over Ceuta migrant crisis

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday called on the European Union to convene an extraordinary meeting of interior ministers to coordinate a common response to the recent migrant crisis in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta while criticizing what he described as the "selfish" attitude of some member states.

In a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Sanchez expressed his "serious concern" over the reaction of some European governments following the mass irregular crossings into Ceuta.

Sanchez said around 50,000 migrants had entered Ceuta irregularly, but that Spain had restored control of the border in less than 48 hours, provided humanitarian assistance, returned virtually all of those who had crossed illegally and prevented any unauthorized onward movement to mainland Europe.

He said these efforts were made possible through close cooperation with Moroccan authorities and with the support of other EU member states while highlighting Spain's long-standing migration policy, which he said had made the country one of the EU's most secure external borders.

However, Sanchez said that while most EU governments had expressed solidarity and offered assistance, others had chosen to "attack Spain" and call for its temporary exclusion from the Schengen Area.

He argued that such a reaction, "driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest," was contrary to European law, humanitarian law and the principle of solidarity, adding that "the European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction."

Sanchez urged the Irish Presidency to convene, as a matter of urgency, an extraordinary videoconference of EU interior ministers to establish a common response to similar situations and reaffirm that protecting the bloc's external borders is a shared responsibility of all member states.

The letter came after one of the largest irregular migration incidents on Spain's southern border in recent years. According to the Spanish government, at least 67 people died during the crisis, while more than 48,000 of the nearly 50,000 migrants who entered Ceuta had returned to neighboring Morocco within 48 hours.