Spain will urge European Union member states to show greater solidarity over the migration crisis in Ceuta at Tuesday’s meeting of EU interior ministers, while criticising Italy over border measures introduced in response to the mass arrivals, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Monday.
Speaking to Spanish public broadcaster TVE, Albares said Spain would demand stronger support from its European partners.
“We are going to demand solidarity from all EU member states,” he said.
Albares said some governments had “not risen to the occasion,” singling out Italy while noting that Spain had supported Rome during previous migration crises affecting the island of Lampedusa.
He also accused what he described as an “international reactionary” network of spreading misinformation about the Schengen area and Spain’s handling of the crisis, claiming some European governments had amplified such claims.
The foreign minister praised Morocco’s cooperation, saying Rabat had agreed from the outset to facilitate the return of migrants without seeking concessions from Spain.
“Every single one of those who entered will return. That is Morocco’s intention,” he said.
More than 50,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco last week. Spanish authorities estimate that more than 48,300 have since returned to Morocco, while 72 people died during the crisis.