Country leaders call for urgent consideration of EU measures and necessary support to Spain to restore effective control of the Community’s external border and prevent further uncontrolled border crossings, the Lithuanian presidency reported on Saturday.
Read more At the Museum of Ancient Beekeeping – the proclamation of the «Bee Republic» with Valinskas
“We note that no illegal further movements towards Europe have been recorded. We once again confirm our readiness to take all necessary measures under EU law and the Schengen Borders Code to ensure public order and manage the risk arising from secondary movements, including strengthening or reintroducing temporary internal border control measures,” the letter states.
“The current situation requires unity, determination, and urgent action. We expect your leadership to ensure that the European Union responds to this situation quickly, effectively, and in a coordinated manner,” the letter emphasizes.
It is addressed to the President of the European Council (EC) Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen, and the Prime Minister of Ireland, which holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The letter was signed by the leaders of the Baltic states, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Denmark, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, and Croatia.
“Together we have a duty to effectively deter illegal migration and combat it resolutely by coordinating our actions, strengthening external border protection, and eliminating all policy factors that may act as pull factors, such as the legalization of the status of a very large number of illegally present migrants,” the letter states.
According to the leaders, uncontrolled mass border crossings, the instrumentalization of migration, or other hybrid threats must not create the impression that illegal migrant entry into the EU is possible and can turn into legal residence.
The letter emphasizes that such an impression would encourage further attempts to cross the border illegally, reduce trust in the common migration policy, and have consequences for all member states.
As BNS wrote, France and Italy tightened border controls on Saturday as about 60,000 people moved to Ceuta – a Spanish enclave in North Africa. This caused one of the largest migrant crises in the EU in recent years.
Pedro Sanchez blamed human traffickers for the influx
Migrants arrived in Ceuta from Morocco, at least 67 people died trying to reach the enclave. According to officials, more than 48,000 of them had already returned by Friday evening.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez blamed human traffickers for the influx, who spread rumors about the Supreme Court decision made last month that illegal migrants arriving by sea cannot be immediately returned.
On Saturday, P. Sanchez condemned what he considered the selfish attitude of some EU countries in responding to the migrant crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and himself called for a meeting of the interior ministers of the 27 Community members.
“In the current international context, the European Union cannot afford such a selfish, polarizing, and illegal reaction,” P. Sanchez wrote in a letter addressed to the bloc’s leaders, which AFP news agency has seen.
The 18.5 sq km territory of Ceuta and the nearby Melilla exclave are the only two European land borders with Africa. Moroccan officials have not yet issued an official statement regarding the migrant flow.
Read more Cars crashing into stops cost the capital thousands every year: who covers the damage?
