Spain calls on Italy to lift restrictions imposed after the Ceuta crisis

Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters on Tuesday that the meeting of EU interior ministers, convened to discuss the mass influx at the border of Ceuta, was constructive, and that member states acknowledged Madrid’s “swift and effective” response.

Grande-Marlaska noted that around 70,000 of the 72,000 migrants who entered Ceuta had left, adding that the Schengen area had never been under any threat, as this enclave in North Africa is not covered by the Schengen Agreement.

He said, “There were no reports or warnings... Unfortunately, such incidents can occur, but let us also remember that we are prepared to respond immediately to a crisis of this nature.”

The minister added that Madrid acted as quickly as possible to install a maritime barrier off the coast of Ceuta following a ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court in July, which stated that migrants arriving by swimming could not be immediately deported in the absence of such a barrier.