A European Parliament debate on the situation in Ceuta on Tuesday descended into a bitter internal clash between the political groups backing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, just one day before her landmark State of the Union address.
The two main groups underpinning the centrist majority — the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) — clashed over the aftermath of the mass influx of migrants into the Spanish exclave on 30-31 July, when around 80,000 people crossed the border irregularly and more than 150 people died.
“The EPP has been exploiting Ceuta for more than a month with the sole aim of attacking the Spanish government,” Socialist leader Iratxe García Pérez said in a direct attack on the centre-right group.
S&D MEPs rallied behind Sánchez’s government while criticising other EU countries for what they described as a failure to show solidarity with Spain.
Some lawmakers targeted the Italian government, which came under fire for extending by another 15 days its reintroduction of checks at air and maritime borders with Spain.
“Meloni asked for solidarity for Lampedusa and denies it for Ceuta,” Italian Socialist MEP Sandro Ruotolo said, accusing Rome of applying a double standard on migration.
EPP lawmakers, meanwhile, largely used their interventions to criticise Sánchez, accusing his government of allowing an “invasion” of European territory by failing to prevent the mass influx.
Earlier this month, a leaked Spanish police report suggested that Moroccan forces had played a role in pushing migrants towards Ceuta, adding pressure on Madrid and fuelling criticism from the EPP.
“The police warned him. The intelligence services sent reports. […] Sánchez knew it and went on vacation for 25 days,” Spanish MEP Dolors Montserrat said.
Centre-right lawmakers also used the debate to attack the Spanish government’s broader migration policy, including its plan to regularise thousands of undocumented migrants, although the measure is not directly linked to the Ceuta crisis.
“Sánchez asked for solidarity after resisting common tools needed to prevent crises and initiated mass regularisation even though there was no agreement on this in Europe,” Dutch EPP MEP Jeroen Lenaers said.
A resolution on the issue is due to be put to a vote next Thursday, with a political battle over amendments expected to determine its final wording and expose further divisions between the two main centrist groups.
The EPP is expected to push for critical references to Spain’s handling of the crisis, while the Socialists are likely to seek to soften the language of the accusations.
Migration is also expected to feature in the State of the Union address, where von der Leyen is likely to propose further restricting measures on asylum rights and a boost to the EU border agency Frontex.
Far-right and left clashed in chaotic debate
Beyond the EPP-S&D clash, several MEPs from the far right and radical left also took the floor with provocative remarks and counter-accusations, sparking heated exchanges.
Podemos MEP Isabel Serra Sánchez accused far-right colleagues of turning Ceuta into a “hate laboratory” by calling for migrants to be “hunted”, which she said had contributed to attacks against migrants in the exclave.
Diego Solier, of the Spanish nationalist party The Party Is Over, challenged her, asking whether she cared about women who had allegedly been sexually assaulted by migrants in the autonomous city.
Vox MEP Jorge Buxadé Villalba shouted during an intervention by Green MEP Jaume Asens, while non-attached MEP Alvise Pérez claimed he had been insulted by left-wing colleagues. Pérez was then reprimanded for having previously insulted The Left’s Irene Montero, prompting an unusual exchange with Parliament Vice-President Younous Omarjee.
After a passionate speech warning of an “invasion” of Europe by irregular migrants, League MEP Susanna Ceccardi was challenged by Swedish liberal MEP Abir Al-Sahlani, who hit back with a pointed question: “Do you know where Ceuta is?”