EU calls for stronger borders after Ceuta migrant crisis

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for stronger border controls and physical barriers at critical points along EU borders after the chaotic influx of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta last week.

The commission president sought to ease tensions with Spain after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused several fellow EU leaders of using the migration crisis in Ceuta to take aim at his government.

Spain ⁠estimates that about 69,500 migrants ​have now returned to Morocco, exceeding initial estimates of 50,000. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, with 11 deaths on the Moroccan side.

Despite Ceuta being located on the African continent and none of the migrants reaching mainland Europe, the images sparked strong reactions from European governments and the European Commission.

Sánchez has been criticised by other European governments for mishandling the crisis, while the Spanish leader has accused his counterparts of being "selfish, polarising and unlawful."

On Tuesday, EU interior ministers will have emergency talks by video conference to discuss the issue.

The scenes in Ceuta have strained relations among some of the EU's 27 member states.

In a letter to Sánchez, von der Leyen praised his "swift handling" of the crisis. But she added: "From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points."

In response to the Ceuta crossings, Italy temporarily suspended the Schengen arrangement with Spain.

The Schengen agreement eliminates border checks and now encompasses more than 450 million people and 29 countries in Europe.

Finland and Denmark backed Italy's move, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged a temporary suspension of Spain's Schengen membership.

Sánchez said he had "serious concerns" about some European governments and pointed out that Ceuta was not part of the Schengen area.

While most had shown "support and solidarity", he said other European governments had chosen to attack Spain, "driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest".

In her letter to the Spanish PM, von der Leyen warned that "the protection of all our external borders is a shared European responsibility", while calling for "vigilant monitoring and the use of physical barriers where needed".

Tuesday's video conference will be a chance to draw "lessons" from the Ceuta episode, von der Leyen said, warning the challenges of illegal immigration require "a common European response, united action and solidarity".

She urged the EU to "double down" in five areas: preventing irregular migration in the first place via cooperation with partner states; strengthening external borders; implementing early warning systems; dismantling smuggling networks and reinforcing returns.

Sánchez has accused migrant traffickers of exploiting a decision recently made by the country's supreme court which constrained the government's right to immediately deport people who had arrived by sea.

The country's Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said on Saturday that the situation had almost returned to normal and the country was working on an inflatable barrier to prevent illegal migration via the water.