Several European leaders on Friday voiced their concern over the recent mass migrant arrivals at Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced that France would strengthen border checks with Spain. "In response to the situation observed in the enclave of Ceuta, I instructed, as early as last night, that controls at the Spanish border be reinforced without delay," Nunez wrote on US social media platform X.
Nunez also said he was activating a rapid border intervention force to carry out in-depth checks.
Meanwhile, a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed to broadcaster BFMTV that the president has asked Nunez to take all appropriate measures to strengthen controls at the border with Spain.
"Contacts are also underway with the Spanish and Moroccan authorities to ensure close monitoring of the situation and strengthen coordination between the various services concerned," the same source said.
Macron also reportedly stressed that "France stands ready to provide the Spanish authorities with any support they may need, including through the Frontex agency."
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also reiterated the significance for Spain to act "swiftly" to regain control of the situation and "fulfill its commitments within Schengen cooperation."
"If the developments were to risk affecting Sweden's security or migration situation, the government is prepared to take the measures required to safeguard order and control," he wrote on X.
"We are counting on Spain to do what is necessary to protect the EU's external borders and on Morocco also taking the necessary steps," Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen further noted on X.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described images from Ceuta as "unacceptable," pledging additional EU support for Madrid.
“We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules. Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow,” she wrote on X.
Von der Leyen said she has tasked European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Magnus Brunner to work closely with Spain and provide additional operational support, including through the EU's border agency Frontex.
She also said European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica was in contact with her “Moroccan counterpart,” expressing confidence that the EU's partnership with Morocco would help produce "concrete results."
Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell criticized statements by senior Italian officials suggesting Spain could be suspended from the Schengen free-travel area.
Writing on X, Borrell said: "No member state can unilaterally suspend another's participation in Schengen," arguing that "this option simply does not exist in the legal architecture of the union."
On Thursday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he was "in favour of closing the Schengen area to Spain," while Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini echoed the proposal.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later said Rome was prepared to adopt "extraordinary measures" to defend its borders. Following these developments, Spain's Foreign Ministry responded by summoning the Italian ambassador.
“This is worth unpacking as it is quite revealing of how EU governments are learning to understand, talk, use and abuse the EU’s legal order in manifest breach of the principle of loyal cooperation that binds them,” Borrell added.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also stressed that "the protection of the European Union's external borders is crucial for combating illegal migration."
“I support Spain's intention not to allow illegal migrants onto the European continent. Morocco must implement the repatriation order without delay,” he wrote.
Switzerland's State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) told Anadolu in a statement that it is also closely monitoring developments in Ceuta.
The SEM noted that while Schengen rules allow member states to temporarily reintroduce internal border controls under certain conditions, they do not provide for excluding a country from the passport-free area.
According to the secretariat, if migrants who entered Ceuta are transferred to mainland Spain, it expects only a "very small" proportion to continue their journey to Switzerland via Spain and France.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said that Belgium is closely monitoring the situation in Ceuta, describing pressure on the EU's external borders as a European issue rather than solely a Spanish concern.
"At times like these, Spain must ensure that its borders are protected and be able to count on the involvement of both the European authorities and those of Morocco," he wrote on X.
Prevot stressed that safeguarding the EU’s external borders remains a priority for the Belgian government.
"Controlling the borders, taking a firmer stance towards illegal migrants and dismantling the business model of people-smugglers is not at odds with a humane approach: it is a prerequisite for it," he said.
The European Parliament's third-largest political group, Patriots for Europe (PfE), has called for an extraordinary plenary session to discuss what it described as the "ongoing migratory crisis" in Ceuta and Melilla.
In a letter addressed to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the group argued that the recent increase in irregular crossings into Ceuta and Melilla constitutes "an exceptional situation requiring Parliament's immediate attention," saying the developments raise questions about the protection of the EU's external borders, the management of irregular migration, and security.
PfE urged other political groups in the European Parliament to support the initiative and asked Metsola to consult the Conference of Presidents and convene an extraordinary plenary session "at the earliest possible opportunity."
Separately, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot dismissed suggestions that Spain should be temporarily excluded from the Schengen Area because of migratory pressure.
"Temporarily excluding Spain from the Schengen Area would by no means be a solution. Moreover, it would deprive all Spaniards of their freedom of movement, as well as the many European tourists, including a large number of our fellow citizens," he told Anadolu in a written statement.
Prevot also drew a comparison with previous migration pressures faced by Italy.
"That would be both unjust and disproportionate. Incidentally, no one has, quite rightly, considered such a measure in relation to Italy, for example, when that country was ‘overwhelmed’ by migrants on Lampedusa at the time," he added.
European Council President Antonio Costa also expressed solidarity with Spain over the current situation, emphasizing the need to protect the EU's external borders while maintaining close cooperation with Morocco.
He stressed that third-country nationals in Ceuta do not have the right to move freely to mainland Spain or the rest of the Schengen area, adding that Spain's response, including ongoing accelerated returns, demonstrates the country's determination to protect the EU's external borders, combat irregular migration, and dismantle criminal smuggling networks.
"I welcome Spain’s close cooperation with Morocco in addressing this shared challenge and ensuring swift returns," he wrote on X.
Initial estimates from security forces showed that around 49,000 irregular migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco in recent days, according to news agency EFE.
Thousands of migrants who entered Ceuta irregularly in recent hours reportedly began returning to Morocco through the same crossing point they had used to enter.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government was mobilizing all available resources in response to the situation.
*Serife Cetin contributed to the story from Brussels.
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