European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged tighter surveillance and physical barriers at exposed sections of the EU’s external border in the wake of the Ceuta crisis, according to a letter sent to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and seen by Euronews on Monday.
The letter doubles as an attempt to cool tempers between Brussels and Madrid. Sánchez had accused a number of fellow EU leaders of exploiting the events in Ceuta to score points against his government, describing their conduct as selfish, polarising and unlawful. Several European governments, for their part, have faulted his handling of the episode.
Roughly 60,000 non-EU nationals crossed into the Spanish enclave last Friday, the largest movement of people across a European border ever recorded in so short a span. Most made their way back to Morocco within days, and Ceuta has since settled into relative calm. Local authorities said on Sunday that at least 72 people died attempting the crossing.
Ceuta sits on the African continent, and none of those who crossed reached mainland Europe. Even so, the footage provoked sharp responses from national capitals and from the Commission itself.
“From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points, both with vigilant monitoring and the use of physical barriers where needed,” von der Leyen wrote.
Twenty-two EU governments signed a letter to the institutions on Saturday requesting an emergency video conference of interior ministers, now scheduled for Tuesday. Ministers are expected to weigh a range of options, among them bringing back checks at internal borders inside the Schengen zone.
Von der Leyen also pointed to migration talks under way between the EU and Morocco as a route to heading off any repeat. She wrote that work is already progressing on a more structured, forward-looking partnership with Moroccan authorities, and suggested that in cooperation with Spain, particularly on matters touching Ceuta and Melilla, the bloc could strengthen early-warning systems for border management and expand technical and financial support to Rabat.
Brussels has struck numerous bilateral arrangements with African states, designed in part to curb irregular departures and interrupt the transit of people who might eventually head for Europe. Civil society groups have attacked those agreements, arguing the EU has not done enough to safeguard migrants’ rights.
