Spain is grappling with a significant backlash from some European Union members as it tries to manage a sharp increase in migrant arrivals in Ceuta. The situation has escalated to the point where 22 EU nations have convened an emergency meeting to coordinate a unified response and address the crisis.
Joint letter from EU members
A coalition of 22 EU member states, including the Netherlands, Finland, and Belgium, has sent a joint letter to EU leaders such as EU President Antonio Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The letter urges a coordinated action plan to strengthen the EU's external borders, emphasizing the need for unity in the face of a growing migration challenge. The letter also highlights concerns about 'hybrid threats' designed to create the perception that illegal entry into the EU is possible, which could encourage further attempts and undermine confidence in the Union's shared migration strategy.
Spain's diplomatic tension with EU members
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has condemned the 'selfish, polarising and unlawful' reactions from certain EU members. He emphasized that Spain has managed to restore control over its border in less than 48 hours, effectively halting any 'unauthorised onward movement' toward the rest of Europe. His comments reflect the growing diplomatic strain as some European governments question Spain's handling of the situation.
Sánchez also expressed deep concerns about the motivations behind some European governments' criticism, stating they were driven by 'prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest.' He further clarified that Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area, a fact he believes should be central to any discussion about the crisis and its implications.
In a separate communication, Sánchez addressed Ursula von der Leyen directly, highlighting his worries about the lack of unity among some EU governments. He called for a cohesive approach to managing the migration situation and protecting the integrity of the Union's external borders.
Schengen suspension and border checks
Italy's decision to suspend its Schengen agreement with Spain for a month has drawn support from Finland and Denmark. This move is part of a broader trend in which countries like France and Portugal are also considering implementing stricter border checks. The suspension raises concerns about the stability of the Schengen system, which allows for the free movement of people across member states without border checks.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has urged the EU to 'consider all options, including a suspension of Schengen co-operation.' This statement has intensified the debate over the future of the Schengen system, as more nations weigh the possibility of reinstating border controls to prevent unauthorized migration.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on Morocco to take immediate steps to repatriate illegal migrants. At the same time, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has offered support, stating that the UK is 'providing what help we can' to Spain in managing the ongoing crisis.
Ceuta's ongoing migration challenges
Ceuta has long been a major entry point for migrants attempting to reach Europe. Many individuals cross by swimming several kilometers from the Moroccan coast. The current surge is not the first time the region has seen a large influx of migrants; in 2021, over 8,000 people entered Ceuta in just a few days, causing tensions between Spain and Morocco.
On 30 July, the border between Morocco and the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta effectively collapsed. Spanish officials put the number crossing within 24 hours in the tens of thousands, perhaps as many as 50,000. Ceuta’s population is around 85,000. At least 88 people are reported to have died in what has also become a humanitarian crisis. Spain has deployed the armed forces to support the Guardia Civil, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has travelled to the city. Dramatic images have flooded the media. Some European governments have suggested suspending the Schengen agreement or for Spain to be removed from it. On Friday, Italy unilaterally ordered the closure of its sea and air borders with Spain. Many in Spain blame the Moroccan government for the crisis. Morocco has never publicly acknowledged using migration as an instrument of pressure against Spain. In this case, Moroccan government sources have blamed ‘criminal organizations’. Indeed, publicly Sánchez has used similar language. But those who accuse Rabat say surges of migrants into Ceuta and Melilla (Spain’s other enclave on the African continent) have a habit of arriving when Rabat wants Madrid to understand the importance of maintaining good relations – and then of subsiding again once that point has landed. Whatever the truth, the situation has created a diplomatic crisis – and could see immigration become a leading issue in Spain’s general election next year. A source of contention Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish enclaves on the North African coast, forming the EU’s only land border with Africa. Morocco does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territories and has long demanded their return. They have been a source of contention in Spain–Morocco relations for decades. In May 2021, roughly 8,000 people entered Ceuta over two days. At the time, Rabat was furious that Madrid had admitted Brahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario Front, (a Western Sahara nationalist group) for medical treatment – Rabat considers the Front to be a terrorist organization. Within months, Spain had abandoned its historic position on Western Sahara – supporting an independence referendum – and instead endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan for the territory. The lesson for Rabat, perhaps, was that pressure on Spain’s enclaves works. This latest incursion occurred within days of a considerable thaw in Spanish-Algerian relations. Sánchez was in Algiers on 20 July, continuing the patient repair of a relationship that Algeria severed in 2022 because of Spain’s adoption of Rabat’s position on Western Sahara. There were promises of another Spain-Algeria summit in the autumn. Sánchez also discussed increasing gas supply through the Medgaz pipeline, which circumvents Morocco and runs directly from Algeria to Spain. Election arithmetic It is noticeable too that this latest incursion arrives as the countdown begins to the Spanish general election, which must be held by August 2027. Sánchez is under severe political pressure. The parliamentary arithmetic was already looking precarious. There are suggestions that Catalan support for his government may be collapsing. The right-wing Catalan separatist party Junts has been overtaken in Catalan polling by Aliança Catalana, Sílvia Orriols’s hard-right party, which barely registered two years ago and has now surged in the polls. Junts still holds the votes that Sánchez needs to avoid losing a vote of no confidence and triggering an election. Might the anti-immigration Junts seize the opportunity to plant a flag? Might it even go so far as to bring the government down? That raises the most consequential question: what issues will define the next election? Sánchez has a strong economic story to tell, with growth outpacing most of the eurozone. But in June the prime minister launched a controversial regularization scheme, which seeks to grant legal status to several hundred thousand undocumented migrants. The dramatic images seen in Ceuta have shocked many in Spain and could see immigration eclipse the economy as the leading issue for voters. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the centre-right Partido Popular opposition party, has already called Ceuta a national security crisis. Santiago Abascal, leader of the hard-right Vox party, has laid the crisis at the prime minister’s door, blaming his regularization scheme directly. The international right has moved quickly too, highlighting the wider risk to European cohesion. Besides closing Italy’s sea and air borders with Spain, Giorgia Meloni has suggested suspending Spain from the Schengen free travel zone. Finland’s interior minister has endorsed the Italian position on Schengen and called on other member states to follow, arguing that a country failing to protect the external border cannot remain in Schengen. Neither country shares a land border with Spain, let alone with Ceuta. The situation is a challenge to the free-movement settlement of a kind not seen since the 2015 crisis, whose reverber
This policy is part of Spain's broader effort to manage migration in a humane and sustainable way.
