Morocco: EU Ministers Set to Meet Over Migrant Crossings in Ceuta

What the report says

The European Union is set to hold an emergency video conference on Tuesday to address the sharp rise in migrant crossings into Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave on the Moroccan coast, according to Radio France Internationale as distributed by AllAfrica. Ireland, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said it called the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, to be chaired by Irish Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Minister Jim O’Callaghan.

The meeting comes after a large-scale influx that began on Thursday and prompted alarm across the bloc. The reporting says more than 50,000 people crossed into Ceuta by land and sea during the surge, while more than 48,000 returned to Morocco within 48 hours. Authorities said the death toll had climbed to at least 72 by Sunday after additional bodies were found along Ceuta’s coast. Spanish officials also said more than 1,000 people had received medical care since the crossings began.

Local authorities and emergency services have reinforced patrols and installed a floating barrier offshore, while Spain and other EU governments are weighing border-related responses. The report says 22 EU member states urged coordinated action to protect external borders. Italy also temporarily reintroduced some Schengen-related travel checks, describing the move as a security measure, while saying it would be limited in scope.

The episode underscores continuing pressure on the EU’s external borders and the political sensitivity of migration policy. It also highlights the role of Ceuta, one of the bloc’s only land borders with Africa, as a focal point for irregular migration and border management disputes.