Fifty thousand migrants arrived in a Spanish enclave over one weekend. Instead of sympathy, Madrid got an accusation letter signed by twenty-two of its own EU partners. As interior and migration ministers meet today to discuss the fallout, Brussels is arguing over who failed whom, while the migrants themselves are already back in Morocco.
EU ambassadors, together with representatives of the European External Action Service (EEAS), met earlier this week to prepare today’s meeting of interior and migration ministers, called in response to the Ceuta crisis. Frontex, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and Europol will also take part in the video conference.
Diplomatic sources say Spain has received unanimous expressions of solidarity over the Ceuta crisis. Member states reportedly praised both Madrid’s handling of the situation and the speed of its response.
The Irish Presidency of the Council called today’s meeting after 22 member states pushed for an extraordinary summit. They are demanding stronger border controls and an extension of the Albania-style hub model, under which Italy processes migrants in offshore detention centres in Albania, to other non-EU countries.
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Blaming Spain, not Ceuta
At that same meeting, EU ambassadors stressed the need for reliable data and a fair comparison of how member states apply migration policy, including the legal framework and border crossings. According to diplomatic sources, they also reaffirmed the importance of fully implementing the EU acquis, including the Pact on Migration and Asylum in all its aspects.
Over the weekend, 22 EU leaders signed a letter accusing Spain of undermining the security of the Union’s borders. They cited the arrival of around 50,000 irregular migrants from Morocco in Ceuta, though the European Commission has not confirmed that figure, which came solely from local authorities. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hit back hard, calling the reaction of his European partners “selfish” and “illegal”, even though nearly all the migrants have already returned to Morocco and none reached mainland EU territory.
The 22 signatories say they are ready to strengthen or reintroduce temporary controls at internal borders. Italy has already restricted free movement from Spain to its ports and airports, while France has intensified border checks. Notably, France and Portugal, the two countries that actually share a border with Spain, did not sign the letter. Luxembourg and Ireland stayed out too.
Spain hits back at Brussels
In response, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sent a letter yesterday to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, defending Spain’s record. He cited figures showing Madrid accounted for half of Italy’s irregular arrivals between 2021 and 2026, and compared the situation to Belarus’s 2021 attempt to weaponise migrants against Poland and the Baltic states.
Ms von der Leyen replied that migration is a European challenge requiring a European response, and that solidarity is essential to it. She proposed “redoubling efforts” on five fronts: cooperating with third countries to prevent irregular arrivals, strengthening external borders, setting up early warning systems, dismantling smuggling networks and improving repatriations.
She also made clear the EU would not tolerate migration being used as leverage against a member state. “We have been firm in saying that the European Union will not accept illegal entries. Nor can it accept any attempt to use illegal migration as a means of putting pressure on a member state,” she wrote.
Who will cast the first stone?
The European Parliament is also getting involved. The ECR Group has formally asked for an extraordinary session to hold an urgent debate on the Ceuta crisis, with the Council and the Commission taking part.
In a letter to Parliament President Roberta Metsola, ECR co-chairs Nicola Procaccini and Patryk Jaki wrote that events in Ceuta “demonstrate the consequences of migration policies that have weakened deterrence, encouraged illegal immigration, and compromised Europe’s ability to protect its external borders.” Procaccini added that the situation “requires an immediate European response” and that Parliament “cannot simply wait until the end of the summer recess.”
Washington is watching too
Ambassadors meeting at COREPER concluded that the crisis was resolved within 48 hours, praising the “good information” provided by Spanish authorities and recognising Morocco’s cooperation in helping resolve it. They also warned that “whether intentional or not, disinformation, whether driven by domestic political considerations or other motives, serves the interests of the European Union’s adversaries, including in the field of migration.”
The uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco in Ceuta may cause unpredictable and dangerous security situations, given the risks to their safety.
— US State Department
The Ceuta crisis has also caught Washington’s attention. Over the weekend, the US State Department raised its travel alert for Ceuta to Level 3, urging Americans to reconsider travel to the area. “The uncontrolled arrival of migrants from Morocco in Ceuta may cause unpredictable and dangerous security situations, given the risks to their safety,” the State Department said on X.
