The only common thread is the need for a "European response." But the two letters sent to Brussels diverge on everything else, one signed by Pedro Sanchez, the other by Giorgia Meloni and 21 other EU leaders. Both letters request an "urgent" meeting of the 27-member interior ministers to address the migrant emergency in Ceuta.
The 22, however, insist on the opportunity to "strengthen" or "temporarily" reintroduce border controls. This very action, formally adopted by Italy, is considered by the Spanish government to be "unforgivable" and dictated by "ignorance or political interests." It's early Saturday morning. In Ceuta, the return of migrants to Morocco continues, and the death toll at sea is rising (by the evening, it will reach 84). Sánchez is calling for a meeting with European leaders as soon as possible to "reaffirm" that defending the EU's external borders is "the shared responsibility of all member states, not just those on the Union's front lines."
And he attacks Italy's "asymmetric" reaction, which, unlike most "governments that have shown us support and solidarity, offering assistance," attacked Spain, which "according to Frontex, is one of the least permeable external borders of the European Union."
Of course, the letter promoted by Meloni together with Denmark's Mette Frederiksen has a completely different tone: the idea was born on Friday, and diplomatic contacts led to the signature of 20 more countries. The latest signatory was Friedrich Merz, who is among the countries participating in the now-regular meeting on migrants held on the sidelines of European Councils. But it goes beyond the fifteen or so "like-minded" countries. All are urgently calling on the EU to take stock—the ministers of the 27 will join a call on Tuesday.
The images of mass arrivals in Ceuta are stirring public opinion across half of Europe, and are paralleled by the Spanish government's mass regularization, which many European partners resent, and which is also mentioned in the letter. The letter calls for "a coordinated, rapid, and effective European response" on all fronts, including those targeted, such as regularizations, that "can act as pull factors" for irregular migration. The 22 recognize Spain's efforts with Morocco "to ensure rapid repatriation" and express their willingness to support the Spanish effort by deploying "available EU instruments," starting with Frontex and, indeed, an assessment of the reinstatement of border controls, "if necessary." This is "an important signal," Meloni emphasizes on social media, because "the position that Italy has long supported is now shared by an increasing number of European nations."
This stance is shared by the League and Forza Italia, because, as Antonio Tajani, posting a 1997 video of Silvio Berlusconi crying over Albanian migrants, says what's needed is "regular and fully integrated" migration, while "the ideological left gives the illusion that there's room for everyone." The Italian center-right is targeting the "total failure of indiscriminate reception policies," which sees the Ceuta crisis as "the result of Socialist Prime Minister Sanchez's irresponsible do-goodism." The opposition, however, is convinced that this is merely a "domestic political" operation aimed at preventing Vannacci, while the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI), through President Matteo Maria Zuppi, calls for addressing the immigration issue with "a lot of solidarity among all," because "if someone is left holding the bag, we all get burned, and that's always true."
(Unioneonline)