Iratxe García, MEP and president of the European Social Democrats in the European Parliament, called on the EU on Tuesday at the Fórum Europa in Brussels to continue supporting Spain in the face of the migration crisis unfolding in Ceuta following the mass influx of migrants, in contrast to the stance taken by the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who decided to temporarily suspend the application of the Schengen Agreement with Spain.
García made these remarks at the event organised by Nueva Economía Fórum in the EU capital, where she noted that “the crisis in Ceuta has put European solidarity to the test” and, in her view, demonstrated “how easily migration can be used as a political weapon”.
García criticised Meloni’s decision to temporarily suspend the application of the Schengen Agreement with Spain at the end of July, following the arrival of more than 70,000 migrants in Ceuta on 30 and 31 July. The MEP recalled that when Italy faced similar challenges in Lampedusa, “Europe supported Italy”, and therefore called on the EU to continue supporting Spain and Ceuta in the face of this crisis.
"Giorgia Meloni cannot call for European solidarity when Italy needs it and then turn her back on that solidarity when another Member State is facing a crisis", she criticised. She also pointed out that "when Poland and Lithuania were confronted with the use of migration as a weapon by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, Europe stood by them". “Now Europe must support Spain and Ceuta,” she insisted. For García, the closure of borders within the Schengen area “cannot become the response to political pressure”. “This is a clear lesson we must learn,” she emphasised.
Furthermore, the Socialist leader demanded that unaccompanied minors who remain in Ceuta after crossing the border irregularly on 30 and 31 July be given “humane treatment”. “Their return cannot mean mass deportation and must involve individual decisions, safeguarding the best interests of the child and fully respecting Spanish, European and international law,” she stated.
The MEP stated that “if we want to show our solidarity with Ceuta, what we must do is help Ceuta”. In her view, it is “totally unacceptable” to hear some regional leaders say they cannot take in 25 or 30 children in their regions because “that legitimises the invasion”. “This is totally unacceptable,” she emphasised, adding that “this sort of message leads to situations such as the one we saw last weekend in a region of Germany”.
She also warned that the language being used “is beginning to undermine the EU’s fundamental values”. “We are giving too much power to those who want to destroy European values. Please, let us learn our lesson,” she reiterated. Finally, she insisted that Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish cities and called for Spanish sovereignty to continue to be defended. “If the European right is concerned” about the migration crisis and, specifically, Ceuta, “where are they when Trump or Netanyahu call it into question?”, she asked.
"All too often we see the same people being lenient towards the powerful and harsh towards the vulnerable. We will do the opposite,” said García. “We will defend our sovereignty across Europe and with Europe, and we will continue to support the recognition of Ceuta and Melilla as outermost regions, their inclusion in the EU Customs Union and their participation in the Committee of the Regions,” argued the Socialist. “We must work together on this issue,” she concluded.
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