Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has lamented what he describes as a lack of European solidarity over the Ceuta crisis in a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in which he points to misinformation, prejudice and petty politics.
The letter, sent on Saturday and seen by Euronews, comes after Sánchez described the arrival of 50,000 migrants from Morocco in Ceuta in a single day, after the double-fenced border was breached, as an “attack” and a “violation of Spain’s territorial integrity”.
In the strongly worded letter, Sánchez describes the response from some EU partners as “rather asymmetric”.
While breaches of national borders are always swiftly condemned by member states and often portrayed as hybrid attacks, several EU countries instead called for tighter controls on Spain, urging Madrid to restore order rather than expressing solidarity.
“Most have shown us their support and solidarity, and have offered their assistance,” the Spanish premier writes in the letter.
“Others, however, have chosen to attack Spain and to call for its temporary exclusion from the Schengen Area,” he continued, in an apparent reference to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, which on Friday announced it would suspend freedom of movement with Spain, even as migrants were returning to Morocco.
It remains unclear what the measure would mean in practice.
Sánchez also appeared to hit back at Italy over irregular migration, arguing in the letter that Spain has “one of the least porous external borders of the European Union,” citing Frontex data.
“In the current international context, the European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction,” he added.
Madrid defends track record
Sánchez has come under scrutiny from conservative and right-wing governments over plans to regularise the status of 500,000 people living in Spain without legal permits.
Madrid has defended the decision, which was not consulted with the EU, arguing that these are people who already live and work in Spain and should be granted social rights. The European right has criticised the move as reckless, arguing that it would inevitably lead to a surge in irregular arrivals.
Still, Spanish sources say that conflating the regularisation process with the irregular crossings into Ceuta is short-sighted, arguing that the two episodes are unrelated. Madrid described the events in the enclave as an attack on its territorial integrity, rather than as a migrant crisis.
In his letter, Sánchez also defended the government’s response to the crisis.
He said border control had been restored within 48 hours, humanitarian assistance had been provided to those who crossed, and almost all those who entered irregularly had been returned. On Friday, the EU said no illegal crossings had been recorded out of Ceuta into mainland Spain, and therefore the rest of member states.
Sánchez said these measures were carried out in coordination with the Moroccan authorities, with limited assistance from other European countries. The EU said Friday it was ready to deploy more means through Frontex, although this was not requested.
He added that Spain’s had shown solidarity to EU countries facing similar challenges, including during the 2021 border crisis involving Belarus and several Eastern European countries, and the surge in migrant arrivals on the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2023.
It remains unclear what prompted the mass crossing of around 50,000 people from Morocco into Ceuta on Thursday, as border controls collapsed. Rabat has denied any instrumentalisation of migration for political reasons, although similar incidents have occurred in the past during periods of diplomatic tension between the two.
Even as border checks became overwhelmed, the EU praised Morocco’s cooperation in managing migration flows. Spain said it had agreed with Rabat to accelerate returns. Footage from Ceuta showed many young Moroccans returning voluntarily on foot, as the city was practically put on lockdown and the Spanish army patrolled the streets.
Emergency meeting
Sánchez has formally asked the European Council to urgently convene a video conference of EU interior ministers. He said the meeting should aim to establish a common European response and to reaffirm the protection of the EU’s external borders.
He said that is a shared responsibility, not just those on the front line in the south.
The Spanish prime minister ends the letter by calling on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to show leadership and ensure that the European Union responds to the situation in Ceuta “swiftly, effectively and in a coordinated manner.”
While European Council chief Costa expressed solidarity with Spain, von der Leyen focused on returns, calling the scenes in Ceuta “unacceptable” and blaming human traffickers.
Separately, a group of 22 member states, led by Italy and Denmark, issued a letter on Saturday asking for emergency talks after the Ceuta crisis. They urged more common action to strengthen Europe’s external borders, with internal checks if necessary.
Portugal and France, Spain’s direct neighbours, did not adhere to the letter.
This story has been updated to reflect a new letter sent by a group of EU countries.