The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called the images of the migration crisis in Ceuta “unacceptable” this Friday and has demanded to “immediately stop the dangerous crossings” to the city, after thousands of people entered from Morocco in the largest crossing recorded at the border since May 2021.
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“The images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable. We cannot allow anyone to enter our Union without respecting our rules,” said the head of the Community Executive in a message shared on social media, in which she insisted that human trafficking networks must be dismantled and returns carried out “quickly,” as European rules allow.
Thus, the German conservative indicated that the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, is already working “closely” with the Spanish authorities and is prepared to travel to the most affected points, where he will coordinate additional operational support for Spain, also through the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).
Furthermore, she pointed out that the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica, maintains contacts with her Moroccan counterpart and expressed confidence that the “close partnership” between the EU and Morocco will contribute to achieving “concrete results.”
Von der Leyen’s statements come after Brussels offered this Thursday to strengthen financial, technical, and operational support to Spain and called on Moroccan authorities to make “all necessary efforts” and adopt “immediate measures” to prevent “these dangerous crossings.”
The migration crisis continues this Friday following the massive entry of people recorded in recent hours from Morocco. According to initial estimates from the National Security Department (DSN), about 49,000 people crossed irregularly into Ceuta, while the Civil Guard has confirmed that the number of deaths while trying to reach Spain has risen to 24.
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