Sanchez rebukes EU states over backlash to Ceuta migrant influx
Why it matters: Spain warned some governments' response could breach European and humanitarian law and deepen divisions over migration.
Spain's prime minister attacked the reaction of some European Union member states to this week's mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave on North Africa's coast. In a letter to top EU officials seen by Bloomberg, Pedro Sanchez called the response from some governments “selfish, polarizing and unlawful” and said it ran against European law, humanitarian law and the bloc's principle of solidarity. He wrote that the backlash was driven by “prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest” and argued it worked against Europe's long-term interests. The dispute adds to pressure on Madrid and the EU as Ceuta deals with the latest migration surge.
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Earlier in this story
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