The enclave

Ceuta: EU interior ministers to hold a video call on Tuesday. Death toll rises to 84

Madrid: ‘The situation in Ceuta has almost returned to normal’

30 July 2026Aggiornato il 1° agosto 2026, ore 19:55

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Ceuta, Madrid pubblica video di migranti che rientrano in Marocco: "Ne sono già tornati 25 mila"

6' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

6' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

On Saturday morning, the tragic death toll of migrants who died whilst attempting to swim to the coast of Ceuta rose: at least 84 bodies have so far been recovered by teams of divers, Civil Guard officers and the Spanish maritime rescue service, according to sources from the Government Delegation of the autonomous city in Morocco. When added to the previous 30 victims of swimming crossings to Ceuta recorded since the start of the year, the number of migrants who have died in the last seven months whilst attempting to swim into the exclave now stands at over one hundred.

Tuesday: video call between EU interior ministers

“As the country holding the Presidency, Ireland will convene a meeting of the EU’s Justice and Home Affairs Council on Tuesday, chaired by Justice Minister Jim O’Callagh, to discuss developments in Ceuta. We remain in close contact with all Member States and institutions and continue to monitor the situation.” This was announced by the President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, Micheál Martin, Taoiseach of Ireland. The meeting will be held via videoconference.

Sanchez writes to Brussels: the suspension of Schengen is driven by ignorance or political interests

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, today sent a letter to the European institutions to express “serious concern regarding the recent reaction shown by some European governments” to the migration crisis in Ceuta. In the letter, Sánchez calls for an urgent meeting of the interior ministers of the 27 Member States to be convened, in order to “establish a common response” and “reaffirm that the security of our external borders is a shared responsibility of all Member States, and not just those on the Union’s front line”, the letter states.

“Border security is a shared responsibility,” the Spanish Prime Minister states in the letter. Sánchez emphasises that Spain has pursued “an effective migration policy based on solidarity”, which has made it possible to drastically reduce irregular arrivals and, despite being “the only Member State with a land border with Africa”, to become the “second-safest external border in the EU”. He also points out that Madrid has assisted other European partners by taking in migrants who arrived via Belarus in 2021 and on Lampedusa in 2023.

In a letter sent to Brussels, Sánchez described the EU’s response to the crisis in Ceuta as ‘rather asymmetrical’. ‘Most’ governments ‘have shown us support and solidarity, offering assistance’, he writes. ‘Others, however, have chosen to attack Spain and call for its temporary exclusion from the Schengen area. Such an attitude – driven by prejudice, misinformation, ignorance or political interests – is not only contrary to European law, humanitarian law and the principles of solidarity that unite us’, but also ‘to Europe’s long-term interests and the most basic common sense’, he adds, referring to Rome’s decision without, however, mentioning Italia by name.

“Ceuta is not part of the Schengen Area because there are virtually no irregular migrants who have not been returned, and because Spain is, according to Frontex, one of the European Union’s least permeable external borders, with the number of irregular entries amounting to half that recorded, for example, in Italy in recent years (2021–2026)’. For this reason, Sánchez is calling on the Irish Presidency to convene, ‘as a matter of the utmost urgency’, an extraordinary video conference of interior ministers, so that the EU may define a common response and reaffirm that ‘the security of external borders is a responsibility shared by all Member States, and not just those on the front line’.

The Spanish Foreign Minister, Fernando Grande Marlaska, who describes the suspension of the Schengen Agreement as ‘an unforgivable act’, referring to the letter sent today by Pedro Sánchez to Brussels, in which the Prime Minister calls for a meeting of the interior ministers of the EU-27, criticising the suspension of the Schengen Agreement announced by Italia. “It is true that most EU countries have expressed their support for Spain in a difficult, complex situation, which we have managed to turn around in a short space of time. But there are other countries that have displayed an attitude that is utterly selfish, lacking in solidarity and highly irresponsible,” said the minister.

Zuppi: immigration is a European issue; we need a great deal of solidarity

“Immigration is a European issue that must necessarily foster a great deal of solidarity amongst us all, because a few years ago it seemed to be an Italian problem, but Italia has rightly pointed out that it is a European problem. If anyone is left holding the short end of the stick, we’ll all get burnt – and that’s always true.” These were the words of the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), Matteo Maria Zuppi, speaking at a public conference in Courmayeur (Aosta). “In Ceuta,” he added, “84 people died; we must not forget that. There is a price to pay when people are not put at the centre of our concerns. When 50,000 people arrive, we need to understand what has happened.”

Police union: border checks risk paralysing airports

“The temporary reintroduction of border controls with Spain for the whole of August, ordered by the Ministry of the Interior following the migration emergency in the exclave of Ceuta, risks paralysing operations at national airports and seaports and placing a heavy burden on the men and women of the State Police”. So states the national secretariat of Silp Cgil, which has written to the Department of Public Security to “challenge this approach and demand immediate answers and guarantees”. ‘Imposing targeted checks on entry and continuous bureaucratic formalities during the month of peak passenger traffic for the year, and in the middle of the annual leave period, represents an illogical and unsustainable approach’.

Italia and Denmark spearhead a letter to the EU on Ceuta; 22 countries sign, including Spain

Italia and Denmark have sent a letter to EU leaders ‘regarding recent developments at the European Union’s external border in Ceuta’. The letter, signed by 22 countries – notably excluding Spain and France, amongst others – is addressed to the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, Micheál Martin, calls on the Irish Presidency to “urgently convene an extraordinary video conference of interior ministers” to carry out a joint assessment of the situation and to define a “coordinated European response”.

Meloni: Italia’s stance is shared by an ever-increasing number of countries

“The images coming out of Ceuta have demonstrated once again just how urgent a European response to illegal immigration is. That is why Italia, together with Denmark, has initiated a letter signed by 22 European Union Member States, calling for joint action to strengthen external borders, tackle irregular migration, combat human traffickers, make returns more effective and eliminate any factors that might encourage further illegal entries. This is an important signal: the position that Italia has long advocated is now shared by an ever-increasing number of European nations.” So said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on X. “Defending the EU’s external borders is not in the interests of a single nation. It is a shared responsibility for Europe”, she added.

Madrid: ‘The situation in Ceuta has almost returned to normal’

“In less than 48 hours, things are returning to normal in Ceuta”, following the mass arrival of around 50,000 people and the return of the majority to their country of origin, and “those who entered illegally have no option for regularisation”. This was stated by the Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, at a press conference in Ceuta following a meeting with the government’s representative in the exclave regarding the migrant crisis. “The exploitation of irregular migration by criminal organisations costs lives,” he said, confirming that “at least 67 people have died” whilst attempting to swim to the autonomous city.

Italia closes its air and sea borders with Spain

On Friday evening, the Home Office ordered the closure of the sea and air borders with Spain. The decision was taken following the latest intelligence findings, analysed in particular by the Committee for the Analysis of Immigration and Border Security, which Minister Matteo Piantedosi chaired this morning at the Ministry of the Interior. Furthermore, following a telephone discussion between Piantedosi and his French counterpart, Laurent Nuñez, it was agreed that controls along the land border between the two countries should be stepped up, within the framework of cooperation agreements between police forces previously signed by France and Italia. Finland and Denmark welcome the decision, whilst London and Paris are offering assistance to Madrid.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s response is unequivocal: “Solidarity and empathy are optional. Compliance with European treaties and data, however, is not”, he writes in X, listing the “number of irregular entries between 2021 and 2026 according to Frontex”, starting with those into our country. “Via Italia: 478,600. Via the Western Balkans: 340,600. Via Greece: 259,800. Via Spain: 234,760. Via the eastern border: 48,000. ‘This is not the time to divide,’ concludes Sánchez. ‘It is time to continue building a strong and united EU.’”