Spanish PM calls for urgent EU meeting after ‘selfish’ responses to Ceuta crisis
The Guardian – World
theguardian.com
Summary
Pedro Sánchez hits out at ‘polarising and unlawful reaction’ over mass crossing into Spanish enclave in north Africa Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez , has called for an urgent meeting of EU interior ministers after what he called some member states’ “selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction” to this week’s mass border crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in north Africa. More than 50,000 people crossed into the enclave from Morocco on Thursday and Friday, with at least 67 people dying in the attempt. Some drowned, while others were crushed as they attempted to cross a breakwater barrier. Although more than 48,000 people had voluntarily returned to Morocco by 6pm on Friday, the massive influx triggered a political crisis for the Madrid government and led some fellow EU countries to call for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-movement zone. Italy announced on Friday evening that it would suspend its Schengen arrangements with Spain, even though Ceuta – and Spain’s other north African enclave, Melilla – are subject to special Schengen rules that prevent onward movement within the zone. Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, blamed the situation in Ceuta on the Sánchez government’s decision to offer a now closed scheme to regularise the status of more than 1 million undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. He said the programme had incentivised human trafficking and was “profoundly wrong”. Tajani’s remarks prompted a sharp response from Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, who said the comments were “unbecoming” and accused Italy of “partisan demagoguery”. Sánchez was equally forthright in a letter sent to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, the European Council president, António Costa, and Micheál Martin, the prime minister of Ireland, which holds the EU presidency. In the letter, the Spanish prime minister said he had been deeply concerned by the reaction some EU governments had shown to events in Ceuta.
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Pedro Sánchez hits out at ‘polarising and unlawful reaction’ over mass crossing into Spanish enclave in north Africa Europe live – latest updates Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has called for an urgent meeting of EU interior ministers after what he called some member states’ “selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction” to this week’s mass border crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in north Africa. More than 50,000 people crossed into the enclave from Morocco on Thursday and Friday, with at least 67 people dying in the attempt. Some drowned, while others were crushed as they attempted to cross a breakwater barrier. Continue reading...
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