Italy, Denmark win support of 22 EU states for stronger border controls after Ceuta crisis

The recent overwhelmingly migrant surge into Ceuta, Spain’s city located on the northern coast of Africa, has drawn strong and strict response from European countries, especially Italy.

On Thursday, thousands of migrants swam around breakwaters by using inflatable devices and some scaled the high border fence separating Morocco from the Spanish enclave. Around 19 people died while crossing the sea. According to official estimates, around 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco.

In the wake of a highly unsettling situation, international leaders raised their concerns regarding the chaotic migrant surge. However, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni temporarily suspended Italy’s open-border Schengen agreement with Spain for one month, closing its direct air and sea borders to travelers from Spain without passport checks.

On Saturday, a new development has come to surface on the part of Italy to push for Europe’s stronger borders and curb illegal immigration.

Italy and Denmark spearheaded an effort based on a joint letter signed by 22 EU member states demanding urgent, coordinated European action on border security, returns and human trafficking.

The Italian PM wrote on X, “The images arriving from Ceuta have once again demonstrated how urgent it is for Europe to respond to illegal immigration.”

“This is why Italy has promoted, together with Denmark, a letter signed by 22 EU Member States, which calls for joint action to strengthen external borders, combat irregular immigration, fight human traffickers, make returns more effective, and eliminate any factor that could incentivize new illegal entries.”

“Defending the external borders of the Union is not the interest of a single Nation. It is a shared responsibility of Europe.”

On the other hand, the Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez criticized some EU countries for exhibiting “selfish, polarising and illegal reactions” to the Ceuta border crisis.

In a letter to Brussels, he said several European states have chosen to “attack Spain and request its temporary exclusion from the Schengen area, driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interests.”

An emergency meeting of EU officials is going to take place at 2pm today to discuss any further responses to the migration crisis in Ceuta.