European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for stronger border controls and a coordinated European response following the influx of tens of thousands of migrants into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta from Morocco.
Spain estimates that about 69,500 migrants have since returned to Morocco, exceeding earlier estimates of 50,000. The official death toll stands at 72 on the Spanish side of the border and 11 on the Moroccan side.
EU interior ministers are expected to hold emergency talks by video conference on Tuesday to assess the crisis, which has exposed divisions among member states over migration and border security.
In a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, von der Leyen commended his “swift handling” of the crisis but said the incident showed that the European Union needed to strengthen its external borders.
“From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points,” she said.
She stressed that protecting the EU’s external borders was a shared responsibility, calling for “vigilant monitoring and the use of physical barriers where needed.”
The crisis has also strained relations between Spain and other EU countries.
Italy temporarily suspended the Schengen arrangement with Spain following the mass crossings, while Finland and Denmark backed the move. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also called for a temporary suspension of Spain’s Schengen membership.
The Schengen agreement allows passport-free movement across participating European countries and currently covers more than 450 million people across 29 countries.
Sánchez, however, criticised governments that he said had used the crisis to attack Spain.
While acknowledging widespread European support and solidarity, the Spanish prime minister said some governments had acted out of “prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest”.
He also pointed out that Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area.
In her letter, von der Leyen said the emergency meeting would provide an opportunity for EU countries to draw lessons from the crisis and strengthen their collective approach to irregular migration.
She urged the bloc to focus on five key areas: preventing irregular migration through cooperation with partner countries, strengthening external borders, establishing early warning systems, dismantling migrant-smuggling networks and improving the return of migrants who do not have the right to remain.
Sánchez has accused migrant traffickers of exploiting a recent ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court that limited the government’s ability to immediately deport people who entered the country by sea.
Meanwhile, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the situation in Ceuta had almost returned to normal.
He added that authorities were working on an inflatable barrier aimed at preventing further irregular crossings by sea.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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