European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed strengthening the European Union’s external borders and increasing support for Morocco following the arrival of around 50,000 migrants in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week.
The crossings began on Thursday at one of the EU’s two land borders with Africa. The other is Morocco’s border with the Spanish enclave of Melilla. The scale and speed of the influx prompted concern across the bloc.
Migration has been one of the EU’s most divisive political issues since the 2015–2016 migration crisis, when more than one million refugees and migrants, many fleeing the war in Syria, arrived in Europe.
The influx strengthened support for anti-immigration and far-right parties and intensified disputes over border controls, asylum rules and the sharing of responsibility among member states.
The EU increasingly relies on migration agreements with North African countries to reduce irregular arrivals.
“Morocco is an important strategic partner, particularly in our efforts to combat migrant smuggling and illegal migration,” von der Leyen wrote on Monday.
She said the EU could work with Spain to improve border management and early-warning systems concerning Ceuta and Melilla, while also increasing technical and financial support for Morocco.
Morocco said on Sunday that the mass crossings into Ceuta and Melilla had been driven by misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks and the misinterpretation of a Spanish court ruling.
Most of those who crossed the border reportedly found neither food nor assistance and later returned to Moroccan territory.
Italy nevertheless suspended passport-free Schengen travel arrangements with Spain for one month, although Schengen rules do not apply to Ceuta. Meanwhile, 22 of the EU’s 27 member states called for coordinated action to strengthen the bloc’s external borders.
The Ceuta incident is the first major test of the EU’s Migration Pact, which entered into force in June after years of negotiations. The agreement is intended to establish common migration rules and promote greater solidarity among member states.
“The idea of the pact is control and solidarity between EU member states. Yet we’ve seen the opposite,” said Bram Frouws, director of the Mixed Migration Centre.
Frouws warned that if the pact failed to produce a different response during its first major test, it could weaken confidence in European leaders and provide “fuel for the far right”.
With elections approaching in several EU countries, migration remains one of the bloc’s most politically sensitive issues.
Critics say relying on transit countries to control migration could leave Europe vulnerable to political pressure if those countries ease border restrictions, or threaten to do so, in exchange for political or economic concessions.
“Europe’s increasing reliance on neighbouring countries for migration control may reduce arrivals in the short term, but it can also provide those countries with significant political leverage,” said Alberto-Horst Neidhardt, senior policy analyst at the European Policy Centre.
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