EU ministers seek tougher migration response after Ceuta influx
About 75 migrants died during the crossing, while the EU blamed smugglers and false information for encouraging the surge.
EU interior ministers urged tougher action against migrant smuggling networks and stronger returns policies following the influx of about 72,000 migrants into Spain's North African territory of Ceuta last week. The surge, which began on Thursday, claimed about 75 lives, with many drowning or crushed in the chaos. EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner linked the influx to criminal smuggling networks and disinformation on social media.
The ministers discussed various measures, such as better intelligence-sharing, monitoring social media for migration surges, and enhancing protection of the EU's external borders. Analysts questioned whether Moroccan authorities might have ignored the crossings, citing previous instances of migration being used as political leverage. The EU is negotiating a strategic comprehensive partnership agreement with Morocco.
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- Hundreds in Morocco gather near Ceuta border in anxious wait for missing loved ones theguardian.com
- EU migration chief claims Ceuta border crisis caused by criminal smuggling networks, disinformation jpost.com
- Ceuta crisis: Morocco urges European Union not to 'hinder' its development lemonde.fr
- Who is responsible for the Ceuta border surge? dw.com
- From TikTok videos to political claims: How misleading information spread during the Ceuta crisis euronews.com
