Migrants: Brussels convenes ministers after Ceuta crisis

The interior ministers of the 27 European Union countries met in an extraordinary session to discuss internal security, external borders and irregular immigration, following the crisis over crossings at Ceuta. The session was convened at the request of 22 member states, which signed a letter with Italy and Denmark leading the way. Among the governments not appearing among the signatories are France and Portugal.

In Coreper, the committee of permanent representatives that prepares the Council’s work, the Italian delegation recalled the contents of the letter, insisting on the need for a common European approach to combating irregular immigration instead of fragmented national responses. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to take stock of the crisis, reiterating that combating illegal immigration requires solidarity among member states and a unified response at EU level.

Against the backdrop of the meeting, diplomatic tension between Italy and Spain over migration flow management remains. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares attributed responsibility to other European governments, stating: “There have been states and governments that have not risen to the occasion.”

The context that triggered the extraordinary session is the crisis over swimming crossings to Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in Moroccan territory that has become over the years a crossing point for those attempting to reach the European Union without legal channels. At least 88 irregular migrants have died attempting to swim across the sea to reach Spain from Morocco.

The split between the 22 countries that signed the request for an extraordinary session and the governments that did not join, particularly France and Portugal, reflects long-standing divisions within the Union on the migration issue: on one side the first-arrival states calling for redistribution mechanisms and greater coordination in controlling external borders, on the other side countries less geographically exposed to landings that favor different approaches, often focused on repatriations and bilateral agreements with transit countries.

At the end of the meeting no immediate operational measures were announced: the session served to compare governments’ positions ahead of future negotiations on the Union’s migration package. Coreper remains the technical forum where the 22 states’ requests will need to be translated into concrete proposals to submit to the Council.