After 72 deaths in Ceuta, EU ministers hold emergency video conference as 22 states demand Schengen suspension for Spain

Migration influx and initial crisis

On 30 July, more than 72,000 people, mainly Moroccans, attempted to cross the border into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, by land or by swimming along the beaches. Madrid assured that it regained control of the border within 48 hours and returned the vast majority of arrivals to Morocco. According to an official Spanish toll, 72 people died during the crossing attempts, while Rabat minimized the count, speaking of only 11 victims. Search operations for the missing continued over the weekend.

Political split between member states

The events quickly exposed deep divisions within the European Union. A group of 22 EU states, led by Italy, Denmark, Germany and Hungary, sent a letter to the Irish Council presidency demanding an immediate and coordinated European response. France, Portugal and Luxembourg refused to sign. In the letter, the signatories expressed their view that uncontrolled migration constitutes a threat for Europe and suggested suspending Spain’s participation in the Schengen free-travel zone – a request Madrid considers legally impossible, especially since Ceuta itself is not part of the Schengen area by derogation.

We cannot allow massive and uncontrolled crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to give the impression that it is possible to enter the European Union illegally.

Madrid’s counter-offensive

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded by sending a letter to EU institutional leaders, in which he strongly criticized the selfish attitude of the 22 member states and called for an urgent meeting of all 27 countries. Spanish officials insisted that none of the migrants who entered Ceuta ever reached mainland Spain or another EU country, given existing checks between the enclave and the peninsula. Madrid has been backed into a corner by European right-wing parties, with Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP, claiming the influx was a direct consequence of Spain’s regularization of approximately 1.2 million foreigners earlier this year.

Call for a common response ahead of Tuesday’s meeting

Ahead of the video conference scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m., European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote to the Spanish prime minister, urging a common European response. She stated that the episode demonstrates a need for increased surveillance and, when necessary, the use of physical barriers, while noting that protecting the EU’s external borders is a shared responsibility. A preparatory meeting of EU ambassadors on Monday saw states express solidarity with Spain and praise the rapid efforts of Spanish authorities, according to an EU source, in an attempt to lower the political temperature.

This episode clearly shows that we must go further to strengthen our borders at the most sensitive points.

What the conference will address

The Irish presidency of the Council has framed the call – which will bring together interior ministers from the 27 member states – as an opportunity to draw lessons from the crisis and to discuss the reinforcement of external borders, migration diplomacy with third countries, readmission and return policies, and the fight against people smugglers. However, an EU source said a key objective is to lower the political pressure after days of escalating rhetoric between Spain and its critics, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who explicitly suggested suspending Spanish Schengen access. The result will likely determine whether the EU can bridge its fundamental divide on migration or descend into further institutional friction.