IN BRIEF: Calls for suspending Schengen Agreement with Spain and pressure on Morocco

Spain’s Ceuta migration crisisIN BRIEF: Calls for suspending Schengen Agreement with Spain and pressure on Morocco European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded "swift returns" of migrants from the Spanish city of Ceuta© AP PhotoSTOCKHOLM, July 31. /TASS/. Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen has called on EU countries to support Italy’s proposal to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain amid the influx of migrants to Spain’s exclave city of Ceuta. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she has tasked two EU commissioners to address the situation, including by pressing Moroccan authorities to halt the flow of migrants. TASS has compiled key facts about the reaction to the situation in Ceuta. Spain’s membership in Schengen zone Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called for the immediate suspension of Spain’s membership in the Schengen zone, the CTK news agency reported. He also called for establishing temporary border control along Spain’s borders amid the migrant crisis in Ceuta. According to the agency, Babis has placed the responsibility for this situation on the Spanish government. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was ready to suspend the Schengen Agreement with Spain amid the migrant influx in Ceuta. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani supported this idea, saying that the migrant crisis in Ceuta may pose a threat to Europe’s national security. Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said that the entire Europe should support Italy’s proposal to suspend the Schengen Agreement on visa-free travel with Spain. Meanwhile, former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stated that no European Union member state has the right to unilaterally expel another country from the Schengen Agreement or suspend its participation. According to Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka, the situation in Ceuta is a challenge not only for Madrid but to the entire Schengen zone. He said however that he would refrain from expelling Spain from the Schengen space. Assistance to Spain and pressure on Morocco France is ready to help Spain to address the situation in Ceuta, the BFMTV television channel said, citing a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had tasked European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner and European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica with addressing the situation, including by pressing Moroccan authorities to halt the flow of migrants. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on Morocco to receive the illegal migrants back. The European Commission is ready to help Spain via the Frontex, or the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said. Calls on Spain Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson urged Spain to take measures to regain control over the situation and implement its obligations under the Schengen Agreement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded "swift returns" of migrants from the Spanish city of Ceuta. Merz called on Spain to take control of the situation in Ceuta as soon as possible. Toughening control Macron tasked the interior ministry to take measures to toughen control on the border with Spain. The French authorities have toughened control on the border with Spain, Laurent Nunez told the RTL radio station. Co-chair of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Alice Weidel called for stricter protection of Germany’s borders and for suspending the Schengen Agreement amid the migrant influx in Ceuta, if necessary. The Swedish government is ready to take measures to prevent a recurrence of the 2015 migration crisis, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said. Spain’s reaction Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that the migtant influx in Ceuta constitutes a violation of the country’s territorial integrity. He said that Spain plans to cooperate with the Moroccan authorities to ensure the soonest return of the illegal migrants to their homeland. He blamed the current migration influx in the Spanish exclave city of Ceuta on the northern coast of Africa on the activities on mafia groups thriving on human trafficking. Situation in Ceuta According to Ceuta’s mayor-president, Juan Jesus Vivas, the city has been flooded by approximately 60,000 migrants, or up to 70% of its population. Meanwhile, the El Pais newspaper said, citing the country’s interior ministry that around 50,000 migrants reached Ceuta and nearly 25,000 of them have voluntarily returned to Morocco. According to Spanish media, thousands of migrants managed to reach Ceuta by swimming or walking around the breakwater separating the city from Morocco. Amid the migration crisis, the Spanish authorities have deployed troops to help ensure security in the city. At least 41 people have reportedly died while trying to reach Ceuta. 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