Denmark said Tuesday it was “very satisfied” with Madrid’s response to an influx of migrants into its North African enclave of Ceuta, after earlier suggesting the EU consider suspending Spain from the Schengen area.
“I am very satisfied that Spain acted quickly by deploying, among others, police and military forces, and that many migrants have already returned to Morocco,” Danish Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bodskov said in a statement.
“But these events show that it is absolutely crucial that we have control over the EU’s borders,” he said following an extraordinary meeting of EU ministers on the subject, called at the request of Italy and Denmark and backed by 20 other countries.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Friday the EU should consider suspending Schengen cooperation with Spain, echoing the hard line of Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The following day, 22 EU heads of state and prime ministers, at the initiative of Rome and Copenhagen, called for urgent talks to assess and respond to the situation in Ceuta.
A videoconference of EU interior ministers was held on Tuesday, where participants expressed “broad support” for Denmark’s proposals to strengthen controls at the EU’s external borders, Bodskov said.
Copenhagen wants to beef up European border control agency Frontex to improve monitoring and forecasting among other things.
“Uncontrolled immigration poses a threat to Europe and Denmark,” Bodskov stressed.
“It is therefore collectively incumbent on European countries to secure the external borders and to strengthen cooperation with the countries in our neighbouring regions so that fewer people flee to Europe.”
According to the Spanish interior minister, at least 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta, of whom 70,000 have already returned to Morocco. More than 70 died in the attempt.