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Schengen is bursting at the seams: Madrid convenes an emergency meeting of EU interior ministers
On Tuesday, August 4, an emergency meeting of the Interior ministers of the European Union will take place. The migration crisis in the Spanish city of Ceuta is on the agenda. Most of the 60,000 illegal migrants from Morocco returned to their homeland, but the locals and the country's authorities were most hurt not by the influx of visitors from the south, but by the way European partners behaved in the hour of crisis. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Letter to Brussels
"This meeting should allow us to work out a common response to such situations and to reaffirm that the security of our external borders is the shared responsibility of all member states, not just those on the front lines of the union," wrote Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. In a message to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, he called for an emergency videoconference with the heads of the Interior Ministries of the European Union countries due to the migration crisis in Ceuta, Spain.
He also expressed concern that some EU states had acted out of "bias, false rumors, ignorance or political interests" by demanding Spain's temporary exclusion from the Schengen area. In his opinion, such an attitude "contradicts European law, humanitarian law and the principles of solidarity that unite the EU."
The head of the Spanish government stressed that Spain was able to restore border control in less than 48 hours, provided humanitarian assistance and "returned almost everyone who crossed the border." Western media reported that 50,000 migrants had reached Spain by swimming, and in the enclave city of Ceuta, the authorities counted 60,000 illegal immigrants who had infiltrated them.
The police installed a 500-meter-long floating barrier near the border with Morocco, as a result, 90 people died while trying to cross the border: drowned, died in a stampede, getting ashore or under the wreckage of a breakwater.
The surge in the influx of illegal immigrants is attributed by the Spanish authorities to the reform of migration legislation, according to which people intercepted at sea while trying to enter Melilla or Ceuta cannot be immediately returned. This allows hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants to legalize their stay in the country. It is believed that this could be used by smugglers.
According to The Telegraph newspaper, illegal carriers are now transporting migrants from Britain in trucks across the English Channel to France and from there to Spain. For such a route, they receive 1 thousand pounds.
Mutual exchange of reproaches
This migration crisis has tested the strength of Spain's relations with other EU countries. A number of European countries have chosen to attack the local socialists in power for condoning illegal migrants.
The Italian government criticized Madrid the most, announcing the suspension of the Schengen agreement with Spain for a month. In addition, the far-right party of Italian Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni used the events in Ceuta for its electoral purposes, hinting that if the left came to power, the same migration crisis could repeat in the country.
A similar statement was made by US President Donald Trump, known for his tough immigration policy. The Spanish scenario, he said, could be repeated in the United States if Republicans are not voted for in the midterm congressional elections.
When the migration crisis broke out in Ceuta at the end of last week due to the influx of migrants from Morocco, the authorities of some EU countries, including the Czech Republic, Finland, Denmark and Italy, called for the temporary suspension of Spain's membership in the Schengen area. The Spanish prime minister was most offended by Rome, saying that,
According to Frontex, Spain is one of the least permeable external borders of the European Union "with twice as many illegal entries as, for example, in Italy" over the past five years.
As a result, the EU decided to hold an emergency meeting on August 4, one of the main unspoken tasks of which will be to restore solidarity and unity within the bloc.
The current migration crisis in Ceuta is unlikely to be the beginning of a new large-scale wave, which was in 2015. Rather, it is a local incident that may subside within a few weeks. However, the political consequences of the incident can be felt much longer.
The crisis has exposed deep structural fractures within the European Union, which the migration policy reforms of recent years have failed to resolve. The national interests of States have once again prevailed over the pan-European ones.
Against the background of what is happening, it is impossible to exclude the strengthening of the right-wing forces, which position themselves as tough fighters against uncontrolled migration. It is also likely that borders will be strengthened and rules will be revised. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already called for strengthening physical barriers and combating smugglers.
In addition, Madrid is likely to request additional financial and technical assistance from Brussels for border protection and refugee accommodation. Currently, within the framework of the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact, an annual "solidarity fund" mechanism has been established to support countries experiencing high migration pressure.
This year, its volume is 420 million euros, and they plan to spend this money for the relocation of 21,000 asylum seekers. Spain, along with Greece, Cyprus and Italy, is recognized by the European Commission as a country under migration pressure and can apply for assistance from this fund.
In the long term, the European Union will have to think about new agreements with third countries, primarily Morocco, in order to prevent a repeat of such scenarios. EU countries have already concluded such informal agreements with other states. In particular, with Turkey in 2016. Ankara has pledged to take back illegal migrants who arrived in Greece and prevent new flows, receiving in exchange financial assistance in the amount of € 6 billion and promises to liberalize the visa regime.
Brussels has also concluded informal and non-legally binding agreements with Tunisia, Egypt and Mauritania. The EU is offering financing packages and other incentives in exchange for increased border controls by a third country and limiting the flow of migrants.
Earlier it was also reported about the creation of a pan-European list of safe countries of origin, which included Morocco. This makes it possible to speed up the procedure for the return of citizens of the State and to consider their asylum requests in an expedited manner.
If the applicant was in transit in a country considered safe, his application for asylum may be declared inadmissible or deported to Morocco without considering the merits of the case.
There is no trust
Natalia Eremina, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, noted in an interview with Izvestia that the EU has adopted the principle of joint responsibility for the migration sector.
— According to the new pact, everyone should participate, at least with money. At the same time, the main burden on the southern EU countries remained unchanged. These States carry major risks. And we see from this situation that the risks are only increasing, as now some countries are actually proposing to close their borders with those countries where migrants have entered," the political scientist said.
The migration crisis of 2015, according to the expert, has not taught the EU countries anything in the end.
— Where is the solidarity? The member states of the European Union do not trust each other, but they cannot solve anything alone either," the analyst pointed out.
The current EU leadership has only verbally expressed support for Spain, Daniel Vrbota, a Croatian political scientist specializing in EU politics, told Izvestia.
— But in fact, there is no unity in Brussels on this issue. In response to Trump's criticism of Spain, the center—right European People's Party blocked a joint resolution in the European Parliament in support of the Spanish government, the expert noted.
He also stressed that Pedro Sanchez has recently become a prominent figure in the EU due to his tough stance against the Trump administration. He is the only European leader who has publicly condemned the attacks on Iran and has actually become the "voice" of those who are ready to stand up to Washington.
— It would seem that in an environment where many European countries prefer to avoid direct confrontation with Trump, Spain looks like a valuable ally for Euro-Atlanticists. However, it would be a big simplification to say that Brussels is ready to support Sanchez at any cost just because a change of power in Spain would weaken the camp of the left and centrists in the EU, the analyst expressed confidence.
At the same time, the expert emphasized that the "anti-Trump" position of the Spanish prime minister makes him noticeable, but does not give him the right to special treatment in matters of migration and internal EU policy.
— The European Commission supports his rhetoric against the United States, but is ready to harshly rebuke Madrid if its decisions begin to threaten the stability of Schengen or create precedents inconvenient for other member states. The reality is that as long as Sanchez is useful for PR in transatlantic disputes, he will receive verbal support. But as soon as his domestic policy comes into conflict with the pan—European rules, Brussels does not hesitate to put him in his place," the source concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
