EU Ministers Back Spain After Ceuta Migration Crisis

EU interior ministers convened an emergency meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, offering solidarity with Spain after a mass crossing of migrants into the North African enclave of Ceuta last week. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said the gathering was meant to ease tensions that had built up across the bloc in the days following the crisis.

Spain's government has faced criticism from several EU partners over its handling of the border surge, in which roughly 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta within 24 hours. Spanish officials say the vast majority, around 70,000, have since returned to Morocco, while several thousand remain in the enclave awaiting processing.

Ministers discussed measures to strengthen early-warning systems along the EU's external borders and closer coordination with Moroccan authorities to prevent similar surges. Brunner described the meeting as a test of the bloc's resilience, and officials said further talks on burden-sharing and border security are expected in the coming weeks.