EU can give Morocco more border support, von der Leyen tells Spain after Ceuta spat

CEUTA THE FIRST TEST OF EU’S NEW MIGRATION PACT

Morocco said on Sunday that recent mass crossings to Ceuta and Melilla had been fuelled by misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks and misinterpretation of a Spanish court ruling.

In the event, most of those who breached the border barrier found no food or welcome, and returned to Moroccan soil.

Nevertheless, Italy suspended passport-free Schengen travel arrangements with Spain for a month, even though they do not apply to Ceuta, while 22 of the EU’s 27 members urged coordinated action to strengthen the bloc’s external borders.

The Ceuta incident is the first major test of the EU’s Migration Pact, which entered into force in June after years of negotiations aimed at creating common migration rules and stronger solidarity among member states.

“The idea of the pact is control and solidarity between EU member states. Yet we’ve seen the opposite,” said Bram Frouws, director of the Mixed Migration Centre.

“If the first major incident shows that the pact isn’t doing much differently, that’s politically risky,” Frouws said, arguing that it could undermine confidence in European leaders and provide “fuel for the far right”.

With elections approaching in several EU countries, migration remains among the bloc’s most politically sensitive issues.