President of the European Council Antonio Costa expressed solidarity with Madrid amid the escalating situation with illegal migration in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and supported the authorities' actions regarding the accelerated return of migrants. The politician wrote about this on July 31 on his official page on social network X, reports UNN.
The head of the European Council emphasized that citizens of third countries who are in Ceuta do not have the right to free movement to mainland Spain or the rest of the Schengen area.
"Spain's decisive actions, including the accelerated return of migrants currently underway, demonstrate our determination to protect our external borders, fight illegal migration, and dismantle criminal smuggling networks," Antonio Costa stressed.
He also noted the importance of joint work between Spain and Morocco in resolving the migration issue.
"I welcome the close cooperation between Spain and Morocco in addressing this common challenge and ensuring a swift return. In the coming days, we will remain in close contact with the Spanish authorities," the President of the European Council concluded.
Escalation of the migration crisis in Ceuta: tens of thousands of people attempt to breach Spain's border
The Spanish enclave of Ceuta found itself at the center of a massive migration crisis after between 50,000 and 60,000 people attempted to illegally enter the territory of the European Union during the day of July 30–31. Madrid deployed army units and national police to protect the border.
Most migrants tried to reach the enclave by swimming around the border breakwaters near Tarajal Beach. According to Spain's Ministry of the Interior, at least 57 people died from drowning and stampedes while attempting to cross the sea barriers. Meanwhile, over 37,500 people have been returned or voluntarily returned to Moroccan territory.
For their part, Moroccan security forces used water cannons and tear gas on their side of the border to push back the crowd, stating their support for the principle of orderly and legal migration.
Currently, the situation in Ceuta remains difficult amid a general increase in migration pressure.
According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, in the first half of this year alone, 2,582 people illegally entered the enclave by land, which is 164% more than in the same period in 2025. At the same time, entry into Ceuta, in accordance with the Schengen Borders Code, does not grant the right to free movement to mainland Spain or the rest of the Schengen area, and permanent border controls are in place at the city's exits.
How the world reacted to the migration crisis in Ceuta
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez qualified the mass breach as a violation of the country's territorial integrity. He stated that smuggling networks distorted and exploited the latest ruling of the Spanish Supreme Court, which determines that accelerated automatic return cannot be applied to persons intercepted at sea without initiating the appropriate administrative procedure.
Brussels also reacted to the events. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that entry into the EU must occur exclusively according to established rules, confirming the involvement of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency forces.
In turn, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni quickly responded to the events in Ceuta. Calling what she saw in the footage "shocking," she stated on social media that an uncontrolled flow of migrants threatens the security of all of Europe. As a possible step, Meloni suggested temporarily suspending the Schengen Agreement with Spain.
Meanwhile, Finland's Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen supported Meloni's position, criticizing Spain for its inability to protect its own borders.
Germany also reacted to the situation. Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Günter Krings, emphasized in a comment to the publication BILD that the EU and Spain must immediately start a dialogue with Morocco — because only in cooperation with this neighbor will it be possible to curb the new wave of migration to Europe. He also spoke in favor of stricter border controls, while a representative of the German police union, Manuel Ostermann, called for preparing the federal police in advance for a possible increase in the number of migrants.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš also called for temporarily excluding Spain from the Schengen Area due to the migration crisis in Ceuta, where about 49,000 migrants entered uncontrollably from Morocco.
At the same time, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Mačinka expressed a more restrained position. He stated that he currently does not support the idea of excluding Spain from the Schengen Area and is awaiting an official reaction from Madrid.
U.S. President Donald Trump also had his say. He compared the migrants crossing the border into Spanish Ceuta to an "invasion" and stated that the Spanish government does not know what to do due to poor management.
One should not forget about French President Emmanuel Macron either. He promised Spain support, including through Frontex, amid the migration crisis in Ceuta.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also did not stand aside. The country's top diplomat stated that there is a large-scale Russian propaganda campaign in Europe using photos from Ceuta. He called on European countries to completely block all Russian propaganda resources.
According to the minister, Moscow has been using migration and other sensitive topics for many years to incite fear and destabilize European countries.
"The point is not the situation itself, but how Russia tries to manipulate any topic that can serve its agenda. The only way to protect society from this interference is to cut it off," Sybiha emphasized.
Reminder
Spain has deployed the Armed Forces to support the Civil Guard in Ceuta after the massive illegal arrival of migrants. The government is working on returning all illegal migrants to Morocco.