Full story
Ceuta surge sparks EU talks
The European Union called an emergency meeting to discuss the migration crisis in Ceuta after tense exchanges between Spain and other member states, following a surge in which some 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco.
“some 60,000 migrants entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco”
BBC reported that almost all those who reached Ceuta on 30 July have returned, while deaths from the surge had risen to at least 67.
Al Jazeera said Spain reported that “virtually all” of the estimated 60,000 migrants who stormed Ceuta by land and sea had already left again voluntarily, as European nations planned a meeting to coordinate their response.
The Guardian reported that the EU would hold an urgent meeting of interior ministers on Tuesday amid continued divisions in the bloc over the arrival of more than 50,000 migrants in Ceuta, and said Spain confirmed at least 67 people had died in the attempted crossing.
Sánchez vs EU partners
POLITICO.eu reported that 22 EU leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, took aim at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s migration policies, while Sánchez hit back that partners were responding in a “selfish” and “unlawful” manner.
Euronews said the letter calling for an emergency meeting described it as a “matter of urgency,” and quoted the signatories warning that “We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats”.
In a separate letter, Sánchez accused some EU states of attacking Spain and calling for its temporary exclusion from the Schengen Area, while the BBC said the EU’s letter addressed concerns about “hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible”.
Euronews reported that Ireland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, said a video meeting would take place on Tuesday, and said the bloc needed “a lessons learned process to improve our European resilience,” while adding that “not a single person reached mainland Spain or the rest of the EU” during the influx.
Border controls and risk
Italy suspended the EU’s border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain for a month, with the BBC saying the move was backed by Finland and Denmark, and the Hill reporting that Italy imposed border checks with Spain and temporarily suspended Spain’s Schengen border-free rights for August.
“deaths from the surge in crossings had risen to at least 67”
The BBC said deaths from the surge had risen to at least 67, while Al Jazeera reported that some confirmed dead had drowned and some were crushed while trying to climb the breakwater that holds the border fence.
The Guardian reported that Spain said migrant crossings into Ceuta had stopped overnight as police began installing a 500-metre (1,640ft) floating barrier off its border with Morocco, and said Juan Jesús Vivas warned the situation was “not back to normal” because “there are several thousand people who need to be returned”.
The Hill said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the situation in Ceuta “unacceptable” and wrote that “Dangerous crossings must stop immediately,” while Magnus Brunner said “Not a single person has crossed to mainland EU” and that the EU would remain in close contact with ministers across Europe.
