Migration: EVP-Chef Weber zu Ceuta-Krise: Spanien muss Kurs ändern

As the EU Interior Ministers convene to discuss the migration crisis in Ceuta, pressure mounts on Spanish authorities to change course. European People's Party (EVP) leader Manfred Weber called for a U-turn in Spain's migration policy, stating that Madrid must "change its course." EU Interior Ministers are scheduled to hold a video conference at 10:00 AM to discuss better protection of the EU's external borders.

Earlier this week, up to 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, with the majority of the migrants returning to Morocco, leaving around 2,500 unaccounted for. The situation remains particularly tense for unaccompanied minors, with ongoing housing, repatriation, and investigation of further fatalities. Madrid's Interior Ministry has reported 72 bodies recovered.

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner urged the bulk of asylum procedures to be outsourced to non-EU states, citing the EU Asylum Pact as providing legal possibilities for this. Weber accused Sánchez of tactical electioneering and blamed the uncontrolled migration for increased death tolls, stating, "No one had to die here."

Austrian Interior Minister Marc Henrichmann suggested a hybrid attack on the EU as a cause for the migrant surge, noting that Spain may have ignored CNI warnings of a mass arrival. The Spanish government denied receiving such reports. EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner called the events a hard test for Europe's external border security, which it has passed for now, with no one entering the Schengen area.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt will join the video conference, as the EU Commission called for unity and sought to avoid doubts about the EU migration system, which came into force just seven weeks ago.