Spain is under pressure to introduce tough measures to address the mass arrival of migrants in the Spanish territory of Ceuta, in North Africa.
An emergency meeting of EU interior ministers is to take place on Tuesday after the incident caused political backlash from most member states.
Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta after 69,500 returned to Morocco on foot, having crossed into the enclave on Thursday. Some swam over the border, while others crossed on foot.
The cause of the surge remains unclear, but Spain and Morocco have blamed social media manipulation. At least 67 people died during the crossing.
Tuesday's meeting will attempt to bolster EU solidarity with Spain after the incident caused friction with other states, particularly Italy. Rome reintroduced border checks, saying it feared the migrants in Ceuta would travel on to mainland Europe. Italy also blamed Spain for encouraging the Ceuta arrivals with a decision this year to legalise the status of about 500,000 undocumented migrants.
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Troops escort migrants on Spain's enclave of Ceuta, situated on the northern shores of Morocco's Mediterranean coast. Reuters -
Authorities said about 50,000 people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea from July 30, in an unprecedented surge. Reuters -
Spanish soldiers question a migrant. Reuters -
The mass crossing prompted concern across the EU, and 22 member states wrote a letter asking for co-ordinated action to protect external borders and other measures. Reuters -
Locals rally against a far-right protest, organised by Nucleo Nacional and other far-right collectives, in Ceuta. Getty Images -
Spanish security personnel in Ceuta escort migrants to the border with Morocco, after thousands crossed into the enclave. Reuters -
Migrants are led to the border between Spanish territory and Morocco. Reuters -
Spanish soldiers help an injured migrant on a beach. Reuters -
Migrants prepare to jump into the Spanish territory of Melilla from the Moroccan side of the border fence. EPA -
A Spanish Guardia Civil boat off the coast of Ceuta. Reuters -
A boy crosses back to Morocco through a fence next to Spanish military personnel. Reuters -
Migrants walk back to Morocco from Ceuta. Reuters -
People gather on a hill near Fnideq, in Morocco, as thousands of migrants cross the border into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. AFP -
Spanish soldiers at the Tarajal border crossing in Ceuta after violent clashes along the perimeter. EPA -
People gather along the border fence near Fnideq. AFP -
Thousands of migrants crossed overnight by land and sea. AFP -
People gather next to an overturned police vehicle at the site of clashes near Fnideq. AFP -
Migrants arrive in Spanish territory in North Africa after swimming across the Ceuta border from Morocco. Reuters -
Migrants clamber on to rocks near the border fence in Ceuta. Reuters -
Migrants travel along the coast on foot as they attempt to cross into the North African enclave from Morocco. Reuters -
A member of Spain's Civil Guard keeps watch as migrants enter Ceuta. Reuters
During the meeting, Spain is to focus on steering the focus towards solidarity. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described the incident in Ceuta as a "violation of its sovereignty".
'Under control'
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska is to emphasise to other ministers that Spain pursues a responsible migration policy, sources at his ministry said. Mr Grande-Marlaska is to "express confidence that the recent increase in arrivals in the autonomous cities [Ceuta and Melilla] will also be brought under control", the sources added.
Schengen countries, which include the non-EU member states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, as well as the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, the EU Asylum Agency and Europol, are to join the meeting.
Spanish government officials have stressed there was no need to suspend Schengen because no migrants would be able to travel from Ceuta to mainland Spain. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares summoned the Italian ambassador and criticised Rome's handling of mass migrant arrivals in Lampedusa.
Tensions remained before the meeting, with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani referring to the "over 5,000 [migrants] from the sub-Saharan area who cannot be repatriated or sent back to Morocco" from Ceuta. "What will become of them? Where will they go? The decision to suspend Schengen, supported by 21 European countries, is in line with the treaties and is the right one," he said on X.
'Pull factor'
Italy and Denmark rallied 22 EU states to write a letter on Saturday to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. They singled out Spain's policies of legalising up to undocumented migrants, describing it as a "pull factor".
"We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible," they said in the letter.
France was among the handful of states that refused to sign. Diplomatic sources told The National the letter "offered no concrete solidarity to Spain and aimed above all to exploit the surge of migrants in Ceuta against the Spanish government." They also said the letter "deliberately ignored" the fact that Ceuta is not part of Schengen
In a separate letter to Ms von der Leyen, Mr Sanchez criticised European ministers who he said had "chosen to attack Spain".
In her response on Monday, she was reported to have sought to ease tensions praised Spain's response to the crisis. She also stressed that "we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points", including through “vigilant monitoring and the use of physical barriers where needed", media reports said.
The crisis has led to a renewed push of anti-migration measures, with Italy expected to call for the establishment of so-called migrant hubs in Africa and Eastern Europe. A migrant centre in Albania remains largely unused because of judicial issues.
Greece will advocate the right to suspend asylum requests – a national measure introduced in July after a surge in arrivals in the southern islands of Crete and Gavdos.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said migrant surges had become a "tool of geopolitical coercion", in an opinion article published in Politico. He called for "temporary, proportionate and strictly controlled adjustments to standard procedures".
"This is not a departure from Europe’s values, but a necessary adaptation to new realities," he added.
