Sanchez Condemns Calls to Exclude Spain from Schengen Area

After facing sharp criticism from various European Union member states, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has proposed calling for a special meeting of EU ministers. Sanchez strongly condemned the approach adopted by some EU member countries, labeling it as driven by "ignorance, misinformation, prejudice, or political interests." At the same time, he described the calls for temporarily removing Spain from the Schengen Area as "illegal, selfish, and polarizing."

According to the Prime Minister, the Spanish authorities restored border control in less than 48 hours, provided humanitarian assistance, and enabled a large number of citizens to return home. He emphasized that ensuring the security of the EU's external borders is a collective responsibility of all member states.

In the past two days, around 60,000 migrants have illegally entered the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, which borders Morocco and is located in North Africa. Dozens of individuals have drowned while attempting to swim away from Morocco. As of noon on August 1, the death toll reached 67. For the first time since 2021, Madrid has deployed armed forces in the exclave to maintain public order.

On the evening of July 31, the Spanish executive announced that tens of thousands of migrants had voluntarily returned to Morocco through the land border crossing.