Ceuta: EU calls for stronger borders after migrant crossings into Spanish territory - BBC News

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# EU calls for stronger borders after Ceuta migrant crossings

Figure caption, 

Watch: Migrants started to return to Morocco after thousands entered Spain's Ceuta on 30 July

ByGeorge Wright

- Published

  4 hours ago

**European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for "united action" on border security after the chaotic influx of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta last week.**

Spain ⁠estimates that about 69,500 migrants ​have now returned to Morocco, exceeding initial estimates of 50,000. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, with 11 deaths on the Moroccan side.

On Tuesday, EU interior ministers will have emergency talks by video conference to discuss the issue.

The scenes in Ceuta have strained relations among some of the EU's 27 member states.

In a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, von der Leyen praised his "swift handling" of the crisis.

But she added: "From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points."

In response to the Ceuta crossings, Italy temporarily suspended the Schengen arrangement with Spain.

The Schengen agreement eliminates border checks and now encompasses more than 450 million people and 29 countries in Europe.

Finland and Denmark backed Italy's move, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged a temporary suspension of Spain's Schengen membership.

In response, Sánchez said he had "serious concerns" about some European governments and pointed out that Ceuta was not part of the Schengen area.

While most had shown "support and solidarity", he said other European governments had chosen to attack Spain, "driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest".

![Composite graphic showing the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the North African coast. The upper panel is a satellite map locating Ceuta between Morocco and Spain, with labels including Benzú, Tarajal and the Península de Almina, and an inset map showing its position between Spain and Morocco. The lower panel shows dozens of migrants in the sea and gathered on rocks near a border fence, illustrating a route around the coastal border. BBC graphic using Getty imagery.
](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1600/cpsprodpb/d464/live/e61f1dc0-8dd7-11f1-b8ee-9b3c26ad07bb.jpg)

In her letter to the Spanish PM, von der Leyen warned that "the protection of all our external borders is a shared European responsibility", while calling for "vigilant monitoring and the use of physical barriers where needed".

Tuesday's video conference will be a chance to draw "lessons" from the Ceuta episode, von der Leyen said, warning the challenges of illegal immigration require "a common European response, united action and solidarity".

She urged the EU to "double down" in five areas: preventing irregular migration in the first place via cooperation with partner states; strengthening external borders; implementing early warning systems; dismantling smuggling networks and reinforcing returns.

Sánchez has accused migrant traffickers of exploiting a decision recently made by the country's supreme court which constrained the government's right to immediately deport people who had arrived by sea.

The country's Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said on Saturday that the situation had almost returned to normal and the country was working on an inflatable barrier to prevent illegal migration via the water.

## Related topics

- [Ursula von der Leyen](/news/topics/c8198200zp3t)
- [European Union](/news/topics/cwlw3xz0ljmt)
- [Spain](/news/topics/c302m85qenvt)
- [Ceuta](/news/topics/cl86nk72kx4t)
- [Migration](/news/topics/cz4pr2gdg1et)

## More on this story

- [Influx of migrants to Ceuta gives Spain diplomatic headache](/news/articles/cr7k49p7enjo)

  - Published

    3 days ago

  ![Dozens of migrants walking on a coastal path ](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1024/cpsprodpb/ec22/live/08351c40-8d04-11f1-9a29-416a24547568.jpg)
- [How Spain's migrant crisis created a political storm - whipped up by social media](/news/articles/c62vl925dqdo)

  - Published

    1 day ago

  ![Members of the military escort migrants in Ceuta, Spain, following recent mass crossings of migrants on foot and by sea from Morocco into Spanish territory.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/2048/cpsprodpb/b913/live/403e8040-8e03-11f1-8f5c-bb464f752049.jpg)

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