Ceuta crisis: Spain PM blasts ‘selfish’ reaction by some EU countries; calls for ministers to meet

Summary

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Saturday denounced the "selfish" attitude of some European Union countries in their response to a migrant crisis in the Northern African enclave of Ceuta , governed by Madrid. “In the current international context, the European Union cannot afford this kind of selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction,” he wrote in a letter to the bloc's heads seen by Bloomberg, and called for a meeting of the interior ministers of its 27 members. The letter was addressed to European Council president Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Irish leader Micheal Martin, who holds the bloc’s rotating presidency. The Spanish government deployed soldiers, police, and maritime support to secure the border, establish control, and return the majority of migrants who crossed irregularly. The crisis prompted 22 EU leaders to call for an emergency meeting to discuss coordinated responses to prevent mass uncontrolled crossings and maintain border security. Sanchez said the response of some European governments to the situation “is not only contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together.” “It is also contrary to Europe’s long-term interests and to the most basic common sense,” he wrote, expressing his “serious concern” to reactions he said were “driven by prejudice, fake news , ignorance, or political interest.” He wrote the letter after some European leaders vowed to impose border checks, if necessary, and even suspend Spain’s participation in Europe’s free-travel zone, known as the Schengen area. Ceuta and Melilla, other Spanish enclaves in North Africa, are Spanish territories, and once people enter either city, they are officially on EU soil, although it’s highly unlikely that newly arrived migrants can move anywhere else in Europe from there. “In less than 48 hours, my Government has succeeded in fully restoring control over the border, in providing extensive humanitarian assistance, in returning virtually all of the migrants who crossed irregularly, and in preventing any unauthorised onward movement toward continental Europe,” Sanchez said. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic indicators like- GDP, inflation, forex, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, interest rate cycle, economic recovery, RBI circulars, indirect taxes, GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy imports, exports and everything that impacts Indian economy. 6. Riya R Alex, Trainee Content Producer Stay updated with the latest Trending , India , World and US news.