The Ceuta crisis reached the European Parliament this Tuesday in a debate on the humanitarian situation and the protection of the European Union’s borders. The Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, acknowledged before the MEPs that the crisis in the autonomous city “shows that we need to double our efforts.” Brunner took pride in European migration policy and said that the “return system is working better” and that “Europe has made significant progress regarding illegal immigration,” but there is work to be done.
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“Our priority is clear: everyone who entered illegally and has no right to stay must be returned,” emphasized the immigration official. Brunner announced that this Wednesday he will travel to Madrid to meet with the Ministers of Territorial Policy, Interior, and Social Security and Migration.
MEP from the European People’s Party Jeroen Lenaers focused on the Government and said that although “the police did their job, the Government failed.” Lenaers called for “more exceptional tools” for Member States, because he considers that what happened in Ceuta is not a problem for Spain, it is a challenge for European security.
The president of the European Socialists, Iratxe García-Pérez, appealed to solidarity and criticized Italy’s decision to suspend the Schengen agreement with Spain. She also addressed the People’s Party, telling them that “if they care about Ceuta, participate in the distribution of minors” in the autonomous communities they govern.
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Dolors Montserrat, spokesperson for the Populars in Brussels, put the Government’s management at the center and said that “Sánchez knew – referring to the massive entry in Ceuta – and went on vacation.” Montserrat was the most critical and blunt with Morocco: “Morocco is also responsible by action or omission, as a European partner it must respond with respect and reciprocity.” The text proposed by the Populars leaves the door open to reevaluate the relationship between Rabat and the EU.
The aim of the debate is to agree on a resolution that shows the European Parliament’s opinion on the situation in Ceuta. Beyond the migration and humanitarian debate, MEPs discuss strengthening European borders. The debate is framed within the hybrid attacks that third countries are deploying on the Old Continent. On this occasion, the focus is on Morocco, but it is a strategy that Russia and Belarus have already deployed on the countries of the EU’s eastern border.
The resolution agreed upon by the different groups will be voted on this Thursday. Popular sources hope that the text will be generic enough to have a parliamentary majority. However, the Socialists rule out voting in favor of a text that links the massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta with the regularization of immigrants approved by the Government.
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