Published on •Updated
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for stronger border controls and physical barriers at critical points along EU borders following the Ceuta crisis, according to a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez seen by Euronews on Monday.
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The commission president sought to ease tensions with Spain after Sánchez accused several fellow EU leaders of using the migration crisis in Ceuta to take aim at his government.
Last Friday, around 60,000 non-EU nationals entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, marking the largest border crossing ever recorded in Europe over such a short period. After several days, most of the migrants returned to Morocco, and the situation in the enclave has since returned to relative calm.
At least 72 people died in the attempt of crossing, local authorities in Ceuta said on Sunday.
Despite Ceuta being located on the African continent and none of the migrants reaching mainland Europe, the images sparked strong reactions from European governments and the European Commission.
Sánchez has been criticised by other European governments for mishandling the crisis, while the Spanish leader has accused his counterparts of being “selfish, polarising and unlawful.”
“From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points, both with vigilant monitoring and the use of physical barriers where needed,” von der Leyen wrote in the letter.
After the event, 22 EU governments wrote to EU institutions on Saturday calling for an extraordinary video meeting of interior ministers, which will take place on Tuesday.
Among the proposals to be assessed at the meeting is the reintroduction of border controls within the EU’s Schengen area.
In her letter, von der Leyen also referred to an ongoing EU-Morocco deal on migration that is underway, to prevent these kinds of situation.
“We are already working with the Moroccan authorities on a more structured and forward-looking partnership with the EU,” she wrote.
“In cooperation with Spain, especially on anything related to Ceuta and Melilla, we could enhance border management early-warning systems and improve our technical and financial support to Morocco,” the European Commission president added.
The EU has reached a wide range of bilateral agreements with African countries, partly aimed at preventing irregular departures and the transit of migrants who may eventually seek to reach Europe.
These deals have been criticised by many civil society organisations, which accuse the EU of failing to adequately protect migrants’ human rights.