Irish Govt to chair EU meeting on Ceuta migrant crisis

The Irish Government will preside over an emergency EU meeting today to address the migrant crisis in Ceuta. This decision comes as Ireland currently holds the presidency of the European Union. The issue has gained prominence due to the dramatic incident involving over 50,000 individuals who swam across the border from Morocco to the Spanish North African territory of Ceuta.

Spain has attributed this surge to disinformation circulating on social media platforms. According to Spain's figures, 48,000 migrants were swiftly returned to Morocco. In response to this situation, Italy temporarily suspended its Schengen open border agreement with Spain. This move prompted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to lodge a complaint with the EU and advocate for today's meeting.

EU ambassadors demonstrated their solidarity with Spain during a preparatory session held yesterday. Spain further suggested that the meeting could serve as a platform to discuss the implementation of return hubs, a measure approved by the European Parliament this year. These return hubs would involve the deportation of rejected asylum seekers to third-party countries while facilitating their removal to their countries of origin.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, who will chair the meeting, has not ruled out the use of return hubs. However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has previously stated that Ireland has no current plans to employ this strategy.