Italy and Denmark have launched a letter to EU leaders "in relation to recent developments at the European Union's external border in Ceuta." The letter, signed by 22 countries—excluding Spain and France—and addressed to European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and EU Council President-in-Office Micheál Martin, calls on the Irish Presidency to "urgently convene an extraordinary video conference of Interior Ministers" for a joint assessment of the situation and the development of a "coordinated European response."

Von der Leyen welcomed the request for an extraordinary video conference, which will be held next Tuesday, reiterating that "the fight against illegal immigration requires solidarity and a united European response." And in a post on X, she stated that the crisis management demonstrates "why controlling our European borders is important. We have a robust system, but it must be further strengthened. We must remain vigilant at every critical entry point and maintain close coordination between all authorities." Von der Leyen added that the EU "needs a process of learning from mistakes to improve our European resilience" and recalled that "the Commission has offered its support to Spain from the very beginning."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has sent a letter to European institutions expressing "serious concern regarding the recent reaction of some European governments" to the Ceuta migration crisis. In the letter, seen by ANSA, the prime minister urges an urgent meeting of the Interior Ministers of the Twenty-seven to "establish a common response" and reaffirm that "the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all Member States, not just those on the Union's front lines."

In the letter, Sanchez characterizes the EU's response to the crisis as "rather asymmetric." "Most" governments "have shown us support and solidarity, offering assistance," he writes. "Others, however, have chosen to attack Spain and request its temporary exclusion from the Schengen area. Such an attitude—driven by prejudice, misinformation, ignorance, or political interests—is not only contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that unite us, but also to Europe's long-term interests and basic common sense," he adds, referring to Rome's decision, without explicitly mentioning Italy.

The Spanish Prime Minister also emphasized that "Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area because there are almost no unreturned irregular migrants and because Spain is, according to Frontex, one of the European Union's least permeable external borders, with a number of irregular entries equal to half that recorded, for example, in Italy in recent years (2021-2026)." And from Ceuta, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska assured that "normality is being achieved in less than 48 hours," following the mass arrival of approximately 50,000 people and the return of most to their country of origin. "Those who entered irregularly have no option for regularization," he declared, adding that "the exploitation of irregular immigration by mafias costs lives" and confirming that "at least 67 people have died" while attempting to swim to the autonomous city.

(Unioneonline/D)

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