Migration Crisis in Ceuta, Sanchez Calls for Urgent EU Intervention: Some Countries Criticize Spain Instead of Supporting It

Pedro Sanchez has sent a letter to the European Union institutions in which the Spanish prime minister expresses “serious concern” over how some member states have responded to the migration crisis in Ceuta. He is calling for the situation to be addressed through a coordinated response at the European level.

In this context, Sanchez is calling for the interior ministers of all 27 member states to meet urgently to draw up a common approach to managing developments in the Spanish enclave.

According to the head of government in Madrid, safeguarding the EU’s external borders cannot remain solely the burden of countries directly facing migration flows, but must be regarded as a shared responsibility of all members.

Sanchez described the European governments’ reactions as “asymmetrical.” He stressed that while most countries have expressed solidarity with and supported Spain, others have attacked Madrid, even calling for the country’s temporary exclusion from the Schengen Area.

Although he did not mention Italy directly, Sanchez said such positions run counter to European law, humanitarian law and the principle of solidarity that lies at the foundations of the European Union.

Meanwhile, the Spanish interior minister said the situation in Ceuta was returning to normal, stating that “normality is being restored in less than 48 hours.”

Italy and Denmark, meanwhile, have launched a joint initiative through a letter signed by 22 EU countries, including Spain and France. The document calls for the immediate organization of a videoconference among interior ministers to assess the situation and prepare a coordinated European response to the migration crisis.