The Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, warns in EL MUNDO that the measures Spain takes in response to the Ceuta migration crisis should not affect the free movement of citizens. “We expect the Spanish authorities, working jointly with the Moroccan authorities, to fulfill their commitment to ensure that the measures they adopt in response to the situation have no impact on the Schengen area,” says the head of the European Commission in exclusive statements to this newspaper, amid a clash between the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, which ended up leading Spain to also impose controls on passengers coming from the Italian country.
Italy and Spain exchanged threats and measures yesterday after Rome imposed “border controls” in reaction to the more than 70,000 people who crossed the border in Ceuta. The Spanish government demanded on Friday that it remove this action because “it is unfair, contrary to the interests of the European Union, and discriminatory.” “Therefore, we urge the Italian government to rectify,” added Moncloa, which also warned that “if it does not do so before August 9, Spain will be forced to adopt proportional measures.” And Meloni not only did not rectify but extended until August 15 the decision to randomly request documentation from travelers coming from Spanish territory. In response, Sánchez’s government has reinstated border controls on those arriving from Italy until September 7, “due to the persistent irregular migratory pressure suffered by the transalpine country.”
Brussels’ stance of holding Spain responsible “reflects the opinions expressed by the Member States at the informal meeting of Interior Ministers on Tuesday,” continues the Austrian commissioner referring to the meeting held this week by the 27 officials via teleconference. “The Commission maintains close contact with the Spanish authorities to quickly assess their needs and provide support where necessary,” he adds.
“Our expectations are clear. All affected persons must undergo registration and the necessary security checks in accordance with EU rules. Those determined not to have the right to stay must be returned without exception, quickly and effectively,” Brunner explains in this media.
“The situation in Ceuta is, first and foremost, a matter for the Spanish authorities, responsible for managing their reception system,” adds Brunner, who then focuses on the responsibility that mafias and human traffickers had in the serious events that took place last week in Ceuta.
“The loss of lives in Ceuta is a reminder that human traffickers profit from human suffering and put lives at risk. The European Commission has proposed strong legislation to combat these networks through a new Directive on the facilitation of irregular immigration, which will establish a more robust criminal framework to prevent and combat the illicit trafficking of migrants by prosecuting organized crime networks, harmonizing sanctions among Member States, and improving cross-border judicial cooperation. The tools are on the table,” he asserts.
“The tools are on the table. Now the European Parliament and the Council must act without delay. Europe must demonstrate that those who exploit vulnerable people for profit will be investigated, prosecuted, and brought to justice,” concludes Brunner, who therefore calls on the other two European institutions to accelerate the approval process of the measure proposed by the Commission.
Commissioner Brunner, who belongs to the political family of the People’s Party, has been tough on the measures that Pedro Sánchez’s government has taken on migration and, especially, on the government’s mass regularization. The Austrian distanced this week the serious crisis and the attack on Spanish sovereignty from this process, but did not miss the opportunity when asked about it to remind that “it is not a good sign for the rest of Europe.”
“There have been no criticisms [at the ministers’ meeting] because we do not see a direct link between regularizations and the incidents in Ceuta. And in Spain’s case, it is, in many cases, Latin American citizens who share the same language and culture. But it is not a good sign for the rest of Europe,” Brunner stressed at the press conference after the meeting, elaborating on what he has also pointed out in this newspaper on different occasions.
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