EU leaders clash over Spain's migration policy after Ceuta influx

EU officials gathered in Brussels on Tuesday after a rapid influx of about 72,000 migrants reached the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, creating a humanitarian emergency and prompting deaths of more than 80 people, according to Spanish and Moroccan authorities. The episode revived debate within the 27-member bloc over migration rules, with 22 EU leaders signing a letter calling for stricter border checks and blaming a recent Spanish court ruling that limited summary deportations of sea-arriving migrants.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez dismissed the criticism as politically motivated, noting that most migrants were returned to Morocco within hours in coordination with Moroccan authorities and with limited assistance from other EU states. In response to the letter, Sánchez posted that Italy’s proposed measures were “contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together,” and highlighted that Italy had received twice as many migrants as Spain since 2021.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the most vocal critic, announced that Italy would enforce air and sea border controls with Spain, while analysts said only a small fraction of migrants arriving in Europe eventually reach Italy. A former EU border-agency official suggested Morocco was at least aware of, and possibly facilitated, the surge, a claim rejected by a Moroccan diplomat who said the country would not act as “Europe’s police.”

The incident also prompted calls for new EU mechanisms to address what Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described as the “weaponisation” of migration, urging collective legal and operational tools to protect external borders. Meanwhile, Frontex reported a 37% decline in migrant crossings in the first half of 2026, attributing the trend to ongoing cooperation with regional partners, though experts warned that underlying migration pressures remain unresolved.