Spain says Schengen ‘was never at risk’ after Ceuta migrant crisis

Spain's minister of Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Tuesday that the recent migrant crisis in Ceuta had never placed the Schengen area at risk as he called on Italy to reconsider its decision to suspend the free movement agreement for travellers arriving from Spain. 

Speaking after a special meeting of EU interior ministers, Mr Grande-Marlaska said Spain had explained Ceuta's unique status within the Schengen framework, stressing that the Spanish enclave has operated under a special regime since 1991 that requires controls on all movements to mainland Spain. 

"No one can move freely from Ceuta to the mainland because there has been a special regime in place since 1991," he said. 

"There is always control." 

Mr Grande-Marlaska said Spain had made clear to its European counterparts that irregular arrivals in Ceuta did not automatically gain access to the wider Schengen area. 

His comments came after Italy introduced temporary controls affecting travellers from Spain following last week's mass arrivals in Ceuta. 

During the meeting, Mr Grande-Marlaska said that such measures were unjustified because controls had never been lifted in Ceuta and because there had been no onward movement into mainland Spain. 

Mr Grande-Marlaska said that Frontex, the EU borders agency, had also concluded that Schengen had not been under threat. 

He urged Italy to lift the measures "as soon as possible", adding that they were disproportionate and did not reflect the reality on the ground. 

The minister also criticised what he described as the initial reaction of some European countries to the crisis, saying political interests had influenced early responses before governments recognised Spain's management of migration. 

He said Spain remained at the forefront of EU migration policy through efforts to combat people-smuggling networks, save lives and promote legal and orderly migration. 

According to the minister, around 72,000 people entered Ceuta irregularly by swimming around the Tarajal breakwater during the past week. 

He said approximately 70,000 had already returned to Morocco with the cooperation of the Moroccan authorities. 

Spanish officials are now assessing the cases of around 2,000 people who remain in Ceuta. 

"Those who do not have the right to remain in Spain will be returned under Spanish law," Mr Grande-Marlaska said. 

Among those still in Ceuta are more than 862 unaccompanied minors. 

The minister said Spain would deal with those cases in accordance with the law while safeguarding the children's rights. 

Mr Grande-Marlaska attributed the surge in arrivals to people-smuggling networks and misinformation spread through social media. 

He told fellow ministers that Spain had worked for years with the European Union and countries of origin and transit to dismantle trafficking networks, adding that closer cooperation remained essential. 

He also called for stronger action to counter online misinformation that could encourage dangerous migration attempts. 

The minister defended Spain's migration strategy, saying that arrivals at Spain's borders had fallen by around 30% compared with the previous year before last week's events in Ceuta. 

He said Spain had already been preparing additional reception facilities in Ceuta to cope with higher seasonal arrivals, but stressed there had been no intelligence warning of a mass influx similar to the events of 2021. 

"There was no report or warning that anything like what happened could occur," he said. 

Mr Grande-Marlaska added that Spain currently deploys around 14 police officers and Guardia Civil personnel for every 1,000 residents in Ceuta and Melilla, compared with a national average of four. 

He also announced an additional €100 million investment to strengthen security and technology along Spain's border perimeter. 

The minister reiterated Spain's opposition to transferring migrants to processing centres in third countries, arguing there was a risk that their human rights could be undermined. 

On relations with Morocco, Mr Grande-Marlaska said Rabat viewed Spain as "a strong and reliable partner" with whom it continued to cooperate on security and migration. 

Following the meeting, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, thanked Spain for what he described as its swift response to the crisis and confirmed continued EU financial and operational support to tackle people-smuggling networks and online disinformation. 

Asked about Italy's decision to suspend Schengen arrangements for Spain, Mr Brunner said it would be appropriate to reassess the situation in light of developments over recent days. 

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Council of the European Union said member states and Schengen-associated countries had expressed "strong solidarity with Spain" and welcomed the rapid response of the Spanish authorities. 

The statement said ministers noted that the vast majority of those who crossed into Ceuta irregularly had already been returned and that there had been no onward movement into mainland Spain or other EU member states. 

Ministers also agreed on the need to continue tackling migrant-smuggling networks, strengthen external border controls, reinforce returns and improve cooperation with third countries, while calling for enhanced early warning systems and closer monitoring of social media during future migration crises.