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Meeting of EU Interior Ministers on Ceuta on Tuesday

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In light of growing unrest in the EU following the influx of tens of thousands of migrants into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa, the interior ministers of the member states are set to meet on Tuesday for consultations. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin announced this on Facebook. His country currently holds the EU Council presidency. According to the announcement, the meeting will be chaired by Irish Interior Minister Jim O'Callaghan. According to the report, the developments in Ceuta are to be discussed. 'We remain in close contact with all EU member states and the institutions and continue to monitor the situation closely,' Martin said. Between 50,000 and 60,000 people had made it from Morocco to Ceuta in a short period of time; at least 67 people lost their lives in the attempt. Emergency responders continued to search the sea. Following the events in Ceuta, several EU countries had increased pressure on Spain. In a letter co-signed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), 22 of the 27 heads of state and government expressed grave concern about the situation. They indirectly accused Madrid of having, through its recent decisions, provided incentives for people to attempt to enter the EU. For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez complained in a letter to Irish Prime Minister Martin about the behavior of some member states during the Ceuta crisis. He pointed out that Ceuta is not part of the Schengen Area. This means that people cannot simply travel on to other EU countries from there. Spanish state-run TV broadcaster RTVE reported that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had also received an identical letter from Sánchez. According to the Spanish government, nearly all of the migrants have now returned to Morocco. In Spain's second exclave in North Africa, Melilla, a state of alert was also in effect at times. On Friday evening and overnight, about 1,000 people reportedly attempted to cross the border, according to the state broadcaster RTVE. Only a few are said to have succeeded in crossing.