Sanchez calls for an urgent meeting of EU interior ministers on the migration crisis in Ceuta
The Spanish Prime Minister has conveyed to Ursula von der Leyen his "grave concern" about the reaction of some European governments and has strongly criticised the closure of the borders announced by Italy.
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has requested an extraordinary and urgent meeting of the Ministers of the Interior of the European Union to discuss the migration crisis that broke out this week in Ceuta.
In it, he expressed his "grave concern" about the attitude of some European governments following the entry of more than 50,000 migrants into Ceuta.
Sanchez has criticised in particular the initiatives that have called into question the management of Spain, as well as the proposals for the temporary expulsion of the country from the Schengen area, attitudes which, in his view, are driven by 'prejudice, false news, ignorance or political interests' and run counter to the principles of solidarity on which the European Union is based.
Criticism of Italy
The Prime Minister has described as "selfish", "polarizing" and "illegal" the decision announced byItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to close borders with Spain.
Sanchez described the reaction of some Member States as disproportionate and recalled that Ceuta is not within the Schengen area and that Spain has managed to return to Morocco "almost all" migrants who entered illegally, even preventing them from travelling to other European countries without permission.
He also pointed out, citing Frontex data, that Spain is one of the European Union's "least permeable" external borders, and that irregular inflows across the southern border over the past five years have accounted for only half of those recorded in Italy.
He's asking for an urgent video conference.
Faced with the situation, Sanchez has asked the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union to urgently convene an extraordinary videoconference of the Ministers of the Interior.
The aim, he said, is to provide a joint response to this type of migration crisis and to reaffirm that the protection of the European Union's external borders is a shared responsibility of all Member States.
Defends Spain's Migration Policy
In his letter to von der Leyen, Sanchez also defends the migration policy developed by Spain in recent years, which has significantly reduced irregular arrivals.
It also recalls that Spain has also shown solidarity in previous migration crises, including the reception of migrants arriving in Lampedusa in 2023. It therefore calls on the European Commission to promote a 'rapid, effective and coordinated' response with the Member States and the Moroccan authorities.
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