\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
They asked Ireland to arrange an emergency video conference of interior ministers and called for a coordinated response to the crossings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Finland had joined the initiative.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation in Ceuta requires a rapid and united European response,\u201d Orpo wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n He said the signatories wanted stronger protection of the EU\u2019s external borders, action against unauthorised entry and support for Spain.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The letter warned against allowing mass border crossings, the use of migration as political pressure or other hybrid threats to create the impression that irregular entry into the EU would lead to legal residence.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The signatories also raised concerns about national regularisation schemes that grant legal status to people without valid residence permits.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The letter referred to Spain\u2019s plan to regularise the status of up to 1.2 million people. The leaders described such measures as possible incentives for further crossings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spain rejected that link.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n A Spanish foreign ministry spokesperson told Politico<\/a> that people who entered Ceuta during the latest events would not qualify for the programme. Applicants must prove that they lived in Spain before 1 January 2026 and remained there for five consecutive months when applying. The application period ended in June.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The dispute followed the arrival of about 50,000 people<\/a> in Ceuta in less than two days.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spanish authorities said at least 67 people died, most of them while trying to reach Ceuta through the water.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Authorities began installing a 500-metre floating barrier at the end of the breakwater to stop further crossings by sea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spanish police and soldiers also escorted groups back towards Morocco. Madrid said 48,300 people had returned voluntarily by Friday evening.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spanish officials said almost all those who crossed had returned to Morocco, and none had travelled to mainland Spain or another part of the Schengen area.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Von der Leyen said an interior ministers\u2019 video meeting would be appropriate. She also said no one who arrived in Ceuta had reached mainland Europe.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spain maintains border checks between Ceuta and mainland Spain despite the territory\u2019s links to the Schengen system.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spanish Foreign Minister Jos\u00e9 Manuel Albares said travellers leaving Ceuta must pass police controls, which protected the integrity of the Schengen area.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez travelled to Ceuta on Friday to meet local authorities and security officials.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n He described the mass crossing as an attack on Spain\u2019s territorial integrity but defended his government\u2019s handling of the crisis.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez said Spain restored control of the border within 48 hours, provided emergency assistance and prevented movement towards mainland Europe.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n He also said cooperation with Morocco helped bring the situation under control.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska described Morocco as a trusted partner rather than a threat to Ceuta.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Reports from the border indicated that Moroccan authorities initially did little to stop people reaching the crossing points.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Reuters<\/a> and AFP later reported that Moroccan forces used tear gas and water cannon to disperse groups near the land border.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The reason for the sudden movement remains disputed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Reporting by The Guardian<\/a> suggested Morocco had sought to pressure Spain over its closer relations with Algeria.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Morocco and Algeria have maintained tense relations for decades. Their land border has remained closed since 1994.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s Supreme Court also ruled in June that people arriving by sea must receive a legal process before removal.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez accused trafficking networks of exploiting the court ruling.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n He also criticised EU governments that called for restrictions against Spain.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Italy proposed suspending Spain from the Schengen area and later imposed controls on travellers arriving from Spain at Italian ports and airports.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n France increased checks along its border with Spain.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez called those responses \u201cselfish, polarising and unlawful\u201d in a letter to Costa, von der Leyen and Martin.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n He said attempts to exclude Spain from Schengen breached European law, humanitarian obligations and the principle of solidarity between member states.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n S\u00e1nchez also accused some governments of acting on prejudice, false information or political interests.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n He compared the Ceuta crisis with earlier cases in which migration had served as pressure against EU states, including crossings from Belarus into Poland and the Baltic countries in 2021.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spain had supported other member states during those events and during arrivals on the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2023, S\u00e1nchez said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n He argued that Spain recorded half as many irregular entries as Italy between 2021 and 2026.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen were among the leaders backing the joint EU letter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also signed it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The leaders said member states stood ready to restore temporary controls at internal EU borders.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Finland has started preparations for the possible return of such checks.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said officials needed to retain the ability to act without delay.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation appears to be changing in Ceuta, so preparations in Finland remain justified,\u201d she told Yle<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Rantanen had earlier supported calls to suspend Spain\u2019s Schengen participation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The crisis also triggered claims that pressure on Ceuta formed part of a wider effort to punish Spain over its policies towards Israel and the United States.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Several Spanish politicians and commentators claimed that foreign governments had sought to use the crisis against S\u00e1nchez because of Spain\u2019s policy on Gaza.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Spain and Israel have maintained strained relations since Israel’s genocide in Gaza began in October 2023. Madrid recognised a Palestinian state in May 2024 and has called for a ceasefire and access for humanitarian aid.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Some also cited Spain\u2019s reported refusal to allow the United States to use Spanish bases and airspace for operations against Iran.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The Rota and Mor\u00f3n bases support US and Nato operations across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East. Their location near the Strait of Gibraltar gives them military and logistical value.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Morocco, by contrast, maintains close security ties with both Washington and Israel. The US designated Morocco a major non-Nato ally in 2004, while Morocco normalised relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords in 2020.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Rabat also claims Ceuta and Melilla, while Spain regards both cities as parts of its sovereign territory.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n In March, former Pentagon official Michael Rubin called for a new Moroccan \u201cGreen March\u201d towards Ceuta and Melilla, involving unarmed civilians entering the territories.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n An article published by the Israeli outlet Ynet<\/a> in April also argued that Israel should use its influence in Washington to support Morocco\u2019s claims and punish Spain for challenging US and Israeli policy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n