Spain attacks 'selfish' response of some EU countries to Ceuta migrant crossings
Spain has criticized several EU nations for their 'selfish' and 'unlawful' reactions to a recent surge of migrants entering the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. While the situation is stabilizing, the diplomatic fallout continues as some countries call for suspending Spain's Schengen status.
Why it matters
The dispute exposes deep divisions within the European Union regarding border management and the handling of migration crises.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Spanish police officers and soldiers escort a large group of migrants in Ceuta to the border to take them out of Spain
Spain has condemned the "selfish, polarising and unlawful" reaction of some EU countries to the influx of about 60,000 migrants from Morocco to Ceuta.
Officials say almost all whose who reached the enclave on 30 July have returned, while Spain's interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Saturday that the death toll had risen to 67.
It comes after Italy temporarily suspended the EU's border-free Schengen arrangement with Spain, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the scenes "shocking".
Finland and Denmark backed Italy's move, while Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged a temporary suspension of Spain's Schengen membership.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he had "serious concern" about some European governments.
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