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Ceuta mass migration crisis tests European solidarity - MEPs clash in The Ring
This week on The Ring, EU lawmakers clash over the Ceuta migration crisis. From Morocco’s role and Spain’s response to whether EU member states are doing enough to help out when one member state comes under pressure, the debate raises more questions than answers.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/09/09/ceuta-mass-migration-crisis-tests-european-solidarity-meps-clash-in-the-ring
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This week on The Ring, EU lawmakers clash over the Ceuta migration crisis. From Morocco’s role and Spain’s response to whether EU member states are doing enough to help out when one member state comes under pressure, the debate raises more questions than answers.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/09/09/ceuta-mass-migration-crisis-tests-european-solidarity-meps-clash-in-the-ring
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:08Hello there and welcome to The Ring, Uri News' weekly debate show broadcasting this week from
00:14the European Parliament here in Brussels. I'm Maeve McMahon. Here on The Ring, members of the
00:21European Parliament go face to face on some of the biggest political issues facing the European
00:26Union. This week, as we mark over one a month since thousands of people arrived irregularly on EU soil
00:33in Ceuta, we take a look at how a tragedy in Spain has become a crisis for Brussels and what
00:40the
00:40adequate response should be. To begin, here's our Luis Albertos with this refresher.
00:47Last July, tens of thousands of irregular migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta,
00:52a small Spanish city on the North African coast. More than a month later, with 150 casualties and
01:00thousands still stranded in Ceuta, the situation remains critical and the political fallout huge.
01:06This week, Ceuta's leader came to Brussels to address this issue. Spain is still trying to
01:11find out what happened and how. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says the far right is exploiting the crisis.
01:17Meanwhile, people are taking the street and opposition parties calling for him to step down.
01:22But this story goes far beyond Spain. Italy introduced temporary border controls on all
01:27those arriving from Spain, prompting Spain to respond with checks on arrivals from Italy,
01:32putting pressure on Europe's Schengen system of free movement.
01:36Can Europe come together in a crisis like this? Did Spain receive enough support?
01:41And has the EU migration pact unraveled just as it started being enforced?
01:49The questions we have for our panellists. Let's meet them.
01:54Tomáš Fedekhovský, a Czech MEP from the center-right European People's Party. A former journalist,
02:00he sits on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, as well as the Committee on Budgetary
02:04Control and the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield. An advocate for stronger external
02:09borders and faster asylum procedures, he says, Europe does not have to choose between humanity
02:15and security. We need both. We must protect people who genuinely flee persecution, control
02:20who enters our territory, fight smugglers, and return those who have no right to stay.
02:26Birgit Zieppe, a German MEP from the Socialist and Democrats Group.
02:29She is a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and currently chairs
02:34the European Parliament's Working Group overseeing implementation of the EU migration and asylum
02:39pact. She was also the Parliament's rapporteur for the new EU screening rules at external borders.
02:44She says, the only answer to events like we have seen in Theuta is European solidarity. Member states
02:50must stand together and respect EU and international law when dealing with instrumentalized migrants.
03:00Thomas Seljofsky and Birgit Zieppe, thank you so much for joining us. Welcome to The Ring.
03:06The idea here is to give our viewers a glimpse of how your real debates unfold right here in the
03:11hemicycle. So let's begin. In your humble opinion, who do you think is responsible for this mass illegal
03:17border crossing back at the end of July?
03:20No, we don't have clear evidence, but after years that we see, I think there are different actors who again
03:27again try to test European Union and its values. So it might be third countries, governments, criminal
03:34gangs, social media, Internet and with that also big tech companies. So it's a mixture and we are not yet
03:41there to
03:41precisely find out who was doing all this in the event of Theuta.
03:47And how would you assess Spain's handling of the situation, the Spanish government of Pedro Sanchez?
03:53I have to say that I disagree with this conclusion. Yes, of course, we have many actors who are responsible
04:01for this situation, but also we have a political responsibility and this is the responsibility of the Spanish Prime Minister,
04:10Mr. Sanchez.
04:11Yes, he was informed before the situation from the Spanish intelligence. He had an opportunity to send it some, some
04:21forces there.
04:21So what should he have done? He didn't react on the situation. What should he have done? What would you
04:27have done?
04:27He should have it there, clear evidence who is now in Ceuta. He has to proceed with these people. He
04:36has to decide...
04:38But what would you have done? Because this is huge. We're talking about almost 80,000 people.
04:43He has to take control about Ceuta and he has to negotiate with Morocco. This is the problem that is
04:51on two sides, Spain and Morocco.
04:54Pedro Sanchez is obviously part of your political family, the socialists. Did he mishandle this crisis, do you think?
04:59I don't care who is in government and from which political party. But whenever things like that are happening to
05:06what country ever, the first thing that we have to do is show solidarity, which is also part of the
05:12common European asylum system, which should be implemented and enforced since the 12th of June this year.
05:19And if you really believe something has been done from any member state within European Union, you can check.
05:26But the first reaction also is showing solidarity because otherwise we tell third countries you can test us. We are
05:33weak.
05:34But therefore I miss solidarity.
05:36There was no solidarity. Let's be honest. It was during the summer vacation as well that this instant happened. We
05:41didn't see any solidarity from any countries.
05:43But sorry, how we can show the solidarity if Spain doesn't ask us for what they needed from us. They
05:53said we have everything under the control.
05:55Was that a mistake? Was that a mistake to ask so late for help?
05:58I think the Spanish government did what they could do in that concrete situation because, yes, nearly 80,000 people
06:05arrived irregularly, but the big majority of them could be returned to Morocco within only hours.
06:13So I think they did their best in the very concrete situation.
06:17But of course, as still some people are remaining in Ceuta, which is a very small part, so they still
06:24need support how to deal with those who are still staying there.
06:28I disagree with them because I was in a mission in Melilla last week with EPP.
06:35We had it there really many MEPs where we are experienced in immigration issues.
06:43And in this time we ask because we had a meeting also with policemen, which were present on our meetings.
06:51And we asked Pedro Sanchez for bringing Frontex to Melilla and Ceuta to help with the situation.
07:01What was his reaction? It was a reaction that no one will dictate him what he will do.
07:07And now his reaction is take only 10 people to Ceuta to proceed who is who and proceed the situation
07:16and return the people back to Morocco.
07:18I think you want to respond to that. I had to laugh a little bit because you did not answer
07:24the question what precisely Sanchez should have done in the situation when the people were upon arrive.
07:30Now you say he should have asked Frontex to come. But for what purpose to hinder people to leave the
07:36sea and enter the country and to shoot them down?
07:40I don't understand what Frontex could have done to improve the situation.
07:43Sorry, but I will respond it now very clearly. If you have it so emergency situation, first what you have
07:53to do is make the situation secure and clear.
07:57And I think this is the send it 500 soldier or 500 policemen to Ceuta.
08:04And is it unrealistic also to think that one country alone can manage on an EU external border when this
08:09kind of episode happens?
08:10And it's good to remind our viewers, this is not the first time we've seen this happen.
08:15That's true. That's why I would like to repeat again and again. This is not really only a question on
08:22migration.
08:23Third country actors are testing us. We have seen it at, for example, at the Polish Belarus border.
08:30We have people, human beings were abused, were pushed and brought to the border.
08:35Now we see the same thing in Ceuta. And I think the question, therefore, is much broader.
08:41And we have to ask the question why third country actors are doing that, why they are testing us.
08:47And that's even more a reason to be united in solidarity.
08:51Well, on that very point, we did see the president and the mayor of Ceuta.
08:55He was here in Brussels this week with a cry for help, saying that his city is, quote, on the
09:00edge of the abyss.
09:01Speaking to the press, Juan Jesús Vivas, a member of the European People's Party,
09:06said that the Ceuta incident should prompt Brussels to reconsider its collaboration with Morocco.
09:12Take a look.
09:19This behavior and this event, from our point of view, was possible due to the complicity of Morocco or the
09:25consent of Morocco, one or the other.
09:33And I think it's a very serious situation because this means that their behavior is entirely unacceptable
09:38and it is a lack of respect to Ceuta, to Spain and to the European Union.
09:45Juan Jesús Vivas there. What exactly can concretely the EU do now, apart from, of course, engaging in this blame
09:51game?
09:52We can help to find the bridges between Spain and Morocco because the communication, how do you see, doesn't function
10:00very well in this moment.
10:02Do you trust Morocco?
10:03Yes, I trust Morocco because Morocco is really a partner in many issues and especially in security help us a
10:11lot to fight the Islamic terrorists.
10:14Also, they give us many information. This is why we have to talk with Morocco.
10:19Now, first of all, I'm surprised that my colleague says he trusts Morocco, but Spain should stop cooperation with Morocco.
10:26But if they would have stopped cooperation, how could they have brought back people?
10:31I think what we have to do now, today, in the current situation, is to help Ceuta.
10:36And one question could be, what should we do with the people who are still staying there?
10:41Do we have places within Ceuta and do they need more money, more staff to deal with them?
10:46Or is it having in mind that we are mostly talking about unaccompanied minors, even children, that they should brought
10:54to European member states according to the Pact of Migration as a matter of solidarity,
10:59so that their procedures will be done there and then to decide if they can stay or have to go
11:06back.
11:06OK, that is another debate, of course, that's being held right now in Brussels on whether or not that solidarity
11:11mechanism exists or not.
11:13But now it is time to move on to the next round.
11:19So now it is time to get a real flavour of how the European Parliament chamber really works when members
11:25of the European Parliament ask direct questions to each other.
11:28So I'd like to start with ladies first and allow you please to address your first question to Tomáš.
11:33Thank you very much.
11:34And I will come back to something I mentioned just a minute ago.
11:37And I would like to ask you if you would agree to support a relocation of unaccompanied minors, children to
11:44help Ceuta and calm down the situation.
11:47And thus also using the solidarity mechanism in the European Pact of Migration.
11:53Yes, I will respond to you directly.
11:56If there are some children and women in Ceuta, of course, we can send them directly to Spain and proceed
12:05them if they are here illegal migrants or they are refugees.
12:09But my response will be that really I have it very good evidence about the situation in Ceuta and 99
12:17% of people who cross the borders are men who are there illegally and they don't need our solidarity and
12:27they don't need our help.
12:28They need to be proceeded and return back to the Morocco.
12:31It's clear.
12:32But that's not true.
12:33There are children remaining in Ceuta and we should not ignore that.
12:37Yes, but it's really very small.
12:40Would the Czech Republic welcome these children?
12:42In the Czech Republic we are prepared to help Spain to solve the situation.
12:46We are prepared to send it there.
12:48Our policemen who will proceed these people and who will control who can cross the borders.
12:53But not welcome unaccompanied minors?
12:54No, no, no.
12:55We are absolutely strict against these quotas.
12:57And this quota system helps only extremists to grow up in the European Union.
13:03Sorry, but we are not talking about extremists.
13:06You cannot say they are all extremists without having any proof.
13:10And now you say you are not willing to enforce the European pact on migration, which needs to be used
13:19since the 12th of June.
13:21So you are going even against European legislation.
13:24No, I am saying that we have three types of help, how we can help the states.
13:30And one of the types of help is sending there.
13:34We can send there our forces and really bring the situation to the normal.
13:39Okay, and now your question, please.
13:41My question is very easy.
13:43Do you think that really Spanish government did his work and they respond on the situation adequately?
13:52Now, first of all, we have to understand, having in mind that within hours, 80,000 people arrived in Ceuta.
14:00The reaction was very good.
14:01And I think it was helpful that the people at the front opened the doors of the fences because otherwise
14:08even more people would have died.
14:10And it was very helpful that immediately the Spanish government took contact to Morocco and that also, again, it feels
14:19like ours, most of the people could be returned.
14:22So, yes, in the current situation they reacted perfectly.
14:26And now let's see what together as European Union we can do with the remaining people.
14:32Follow-up?
14:33Yes, my second question.
14:35Do you think that all these people who cross the borders with Ceutas are refugees?
14:41Or how big percentage of the people who cross the borders with Ceutas are really, real refugees?
14:49Now, I don't know what you mean with real refugees.
14:53I think the big number of people that arrived within only hours only shows that there must have been a
15:00kind of orchestration, misinformation that was organized to bring the people.
15:06So, I'm quite convinced that not everybody is an asylum seeker that needs international protection.
15:13Many were coming maybe to have another perspective, economic refugees, but that's something that we have to elaborate.
15:21We have to check who needs international protection, who not.
15:25And those who don't have a right to stay, of course, have to be brought back to Morocco if they
15:30are Moroccans.
15:31One final last question for Thomas.
15:33Now, I also would like to know how you see the situation.
15:37You fuel the debate about disinformation, saying this has happened because of regularization of migrants.
15:48But this did happen already a long time ago.
15:51And other member states also did regularize people.
15:55So, why do you see a connection between regularization of people and in this case of Spain, they mainly were
16:02coming from South America with the current situation?
16:07I have to say thank you very much for this question.
16:09I responded many times.
16:11I said there is many disinformation, what we have to fight.
16:15This is why really I was very active in UDS.
16:19And I am fully supporting stop for anonymized accounts, what can really be so strong as normal accounts.
16:33And they have the same responsibility as our normal accounts in the social media.
16:40Because many of these things happen thanks to disinformation from the third actors.
16:47And then about the situation in Spain, the people from the South America came to Spain for long times.
16:57The problem of the Spain government is that the Spain government doesn't react and doesn't return these people back if
17:05they don't have visas or they don't have permission to stay.
17:09That is the views they may I read because they arrived with the visa, but they started working and obviously
17:16they are needed in Spain.
17:17That's why they were regularized.
17:19But I'm happy that you say maybe regularization was not the problem, but misinformation.
17:24And I hope here we could work together.
17:27By the way, I don't think the problem is anonymous accounts because I see more and more people doing ugly
17:34things in the net while using their real name.
17:38Now we're getting a real.
17:39Now we're getting that later.
17:40And now it is time to hear from another voice.
17:46I'd like to bring in the voice now of the U.S. President Donald Trump.
17:50He's been getting involved in this conversation about Celta.
17:53He's spoken out sharply against Spain, declaring that it is, quote, very sad what is happening in Spain, a country
18:00with zero control over its borders.
18:03So why is Donald Trump getting involved in this conversation?
18:07No, I think there is a long history.
18:09Donald Trump has a big interest in weakening European Union.
18:13He's not only doing pressure with tariffs.
18:17He's accusing us whenever we try to force, for example, Big Tech to follow our rules, our legislation.
18:25He's saying we are acting bad.
18:26And a weak European Union, a union that is split, is good for the American president because Trump wants to
18:33make deals individually with each and every member state.
18:37So he has an economic aim in this.
18:39And this is a direct attack, of course, on Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain.
18:44We know that Donald Trump hates Pedro Sánchez.
18:48He doesn't have a very good relation with him and with current Spanish government.
18:53Also, he every time claims something against the Spain.
18:57And I would like to say part of this tweet was true.
19:01But I am absolutely sure that really he politicized much more this debate from his view, from U.S. view,
19:11to show Pedro Sánchez that he is the loser of the situation.
19:16I think if you, as a big leader of a big country, need to call another political leader a loser,
19:25this shows back to yourself.
19:28And I think the real argument is he hates that Sánchez is not trying to charm him to get something,
19:35but he has taken a strong position.
19:37I describe only the situation.
19:38I don't charge Mr. Trump or Mr. Sánchez.
19:41Well, Trump, of course, facing midterm elections in just two months.
19:45But on that point, we can close this conversation on Donald Trump weighing into this debate.
19:49But stay with us here on The Ring as we take a very short break.
20:02Welcome back to The Ring, U.S.'s weekly debate show.
20:05I'm Maeve McMahon.
20:07And for this episode, I'm joined by the MEPs Tom Asitowski and Birgit Sippel.
20:11And we're taking a closer look at the Southall migration crisis and how it's actually impacted the whole European Union.
20:18We also saw this week Denmark hosting talks with four EU countries on how to speed up the creation of
20:23migrant return hubs outside the European Union.
20:27But according to the EU border agency Frontex, the number of returns actually went up this year.
20:3333,000 people were returned to non-EU countries in the first half of this year.
20:38That's up from 30,000 in the first half of last year, an increase in around 10 percent.
20:43And around two-thirds returned voluntarily, 21,000 compared with 19,000 this year.
20:50So we don't really have a crisis on our hands, right, Tomáš?
20:53Yes, we have to continue with returns.
20:56I think it's very good news that the number is growing.
21:00But really, it's very important to send a very strong signal.
21:05If you are not here legal, you have to go back to your country.
21:11Your reaction to that?
21:12I think, first of all, we have to realize that in the last two years, the number of the overall
21:17arrivals already went down.
21:20Nevertheless, if people have no right to stay, it's okay that we return them to their country of origin.
21:25The return hubs are a totally different question because return hub means we bring people to a place they don't
21:32know where they have never been.
21:34It's expensive and we make ourselves relying on third countries to do that.
21:41I think that's not a good option.
21:42I think it's really an Australian solution.
21:46They have the same solution and we are inspired by some countries.
21:52I think that it's not optimal, but what is it optimal?
21:56Are you inspired by the Australian solution?
21:58Of course, I was in many countries to inspire how to proceed the migration.
22:03And I think after many debates here in European Parliament, I'm here 13 years or so, I think that it's
22:11really one of the solutions what we have to do.
22:15I don't agree.
22:17And if I may add one sentence linked to the return hubs, it's not only that I believe the return
22:23hubs are totally ineffective, will not help, but it's also the procedure that was decided to bring people in the
22:31return regulation that we deny very fundamental rights to people and simply bring them back.
22:37So there is some things to do to protect the foundation of European Union, which is rule of law and
22:43fundamental rights.
22:45Just last week, we saw the AFZ do very well in Saxony-Anhalt.
22:49Is that due to migration one of the major issues that they kind of won the elections on?
22:54I think the result in the elections has many grounds.
22:58It's true to one hand, the issue of migration was very popular, was very often mentioned.
23:03But at the same time, especially Saxony-Anhalt is a part of Germany where you hardly find many migrants.
23:11So that's not an issue.
23:12But I think this also adds into a feeling that people believe that politicians don't show interest in their real
23:21-life situation.
23:22And on the other hand, you have a political party like AFD, who is very far right-wing and is
23:28purely lying into the faces of people.
23:31And unfortunately, they don't realize that.
23:33And have our integration policies failed, Tomáš?
23:37I don't think so.
23:39You can see the situation in the Czech Republic.
23:41We had 500,000 of refugees from Ukraine.
23:46And they are fully involved in the Czech society.
23:49Also, we have it here really half a million of people who are working, who are living with us.
23:56They have it.
23:57The children go to the schools and they are fully integrated.
24:01But on the other side of the coin, you believe that all those who arrived in Ceuta are, quote, extremists,
24:06as you said earlier.
24:06No, I don't say that they are extremists.
24:09I said that many of them have a criminal history.
24:14And they really went from Morocco for the purpose to have a better life.
24:19If I'm correct, you just said many of the 80,000 irregular migrants have criminal backgrounds.
24:26We have it.
24:27There are many of the people.
24:28You can check them.
24:29Is there evidence of that?
24:31No.
24:32Yes.
24:32There was no screening done.
24:34No questioning of the people, especially regarding the big majority who already went back to Morocco.
24:41No one asked them question about their background.
24:44So you can't say the majority has a criminal background.
24:47We have it.
24:47Many instruments.
24:48I was also soldier.
24:50I was on the borders.
24:51Also, you have it.
24:52Many instruments how to screen the people.
24:54When you don't have it data, I need only your face.
24:58And I can really check where the people is from and what he will do here and where he was
25:05last two days.
25:08Okay.
25:08Well, now it is time to move on to our fifth and our final round here on The Ring.
25:16As always, now for the fifth round, we like to do something a little bit different.
25:20I'm going to ask our guest, Emi Pisa, a set of questions.
25:23And you are allowed reply with either yes or no.
25:26Oh, good.
25:27Is that the over?
25:28Okay.
25:29You can give it a shot.
25:30First question.
25:31Did Spain lose control of its external EU border?
25:33Yes or no?
25:34Yes.
25:35No.
25:35Yes or no?
25:36No.
25:37Could Pedro Sanchez resign because of this crisis?
25:39Yes or no?
25:40Yes.
25:40No.
25:41No.
25:42Did Brussels leave Spain alone?
25:44Yes or no?
25:46Member states left Spain alone.
25:48Did Brussels?
25:49No.
25:50Did member states leave Spain alone?
25:51Yes or no?
25:52We helped them with all the information and all the support what they asked.
25:56Did Morocco use migration for political leverage?
26:00Yes or no?
26:01Yet no evidence for that.
26:03Yes or no?
26:03We have to investigate them.
26:05Is another FAUTE incident inevitable?
26:08Yes or no?
26:10Without solidarity of European Union it can happen again?
26:14No.
26:16Was Italy right to suspend Schengen temporarily?
26:20Yes or no?
26:20It was ridiculous.
26:22Yes.
26:23I agree.
26:24I think it was a very good idea.
26:26So you disagree?
26:27I disagree because really in the situation when systematically really there is no dialogue
26:35between the Spanish government and other member states about illegal immigration and about
26:40the situation what they are now doing.
26:43But sorry it's ridiculous.
26:44Ceuta is not even on the European continent.
26:48Yeah.
26:48They are not even part of the Schengen area.
26:51So none of those people ever arrived in Spain.
26:54So why are you willing to control any kind of traffic reaction?
26:58It's only the reaction to say that Spain have to take control above the borders.
27:04That's not a reason to start for the controls.
27:06That's against the legislation.
27:08Is Schengen in serious trouble?
27:10Yes or no?
27:12If member states act wrongly then yes.
27:16Yes.
27:16Yes.
27:17Okay.
27:18And did you agree with anything you've heard from Tomáš today?
27:21Not much.
27:22And did you agree with anything?
27:24Yes.
27:24I think two, three percentage of the words that I heard.
27:28That's the view from the MEPs.
27:29We would love to hear your opinion on this debate.
27:32Please reach out.
27:33The ring at euronews.com.
27:35That is our email address.
27:37In the meantime thank you so much to you both for joining us.
27:39Thank you so much for watching.
27:40Take care and stay with us here on Euronews.
27:48We'll see you next time.
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