(Bloomberg) — European Union ambassadors will convene Monday for an emergency meeting, as Spain faces calls to reassert control over the bloc’s external borders.
A spokesman for Ireland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, confirmed the meeting. The EU’s integrated political crisis response group, which deals with crisis and disaster situations, will be briefed by officials on Saturday on events in the north African enclave of Ceuta over the past two days.
It comes as the Spanish government confirmed that 50,000 people had illegally crossed the border between Morocco and Ceuta, though Spain’s Interior Ministry said Friday that more than half of those people have since left.
Several EU leaders weighed in on the crisis which Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described as “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity,” calling on Spain to ensure that the EU’s external border is protected and urging Madrid to reassert control.
Germany said it would extend its own border checks until September, while Italy said it would impose entry controls for non-EU citizens arriving from Spain.
“Images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who runs the bloc’s executive arm, said in a post on X. “We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules.”
European Council President Antonio Costa, who chairs meetings of EU leaders, expressed his solidarity with Spain, praising the country’s “firm response,” including its moves to combat illegal migration and dismantle criminal smuggling networks.
The arrival of thousands of migrants to Ceuta has turned the spotlight on Schengen, the bloc’s free movement zone, which covers 25 EU members, plus Lichtenstein, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. However, EU officials have stressed that anyone arriving in Ceuta and Melilla, which is also on the North African coast, is covered by a special provision in the Schengen Border Code, which means they are subject to border controls before moving on to mainland Europe.
They also stressed that the bloc has a good relationship with Morocco, with a meeting between the EU’s ambassador in Rabat and the Moroccan foreign ministry scheduled for Monday.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
#Convenes #Ambassadors #Spain #Migrant #Crisis #Unnerves #Europe
