22 EU Leaders Sign Letter on Migration Weaponization

Twenty-two European heads of state and government, including Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, have signed a joint letter to EU leadership declaring that “migration must not be used as a weapon” and demanding urgent coordinated action following the unprecedented migrant surge into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The letter, initiated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, was published Saturday by the Italian government.

The Ceuta Crisis

The letter comes in the wake of a dramatic crisis at the EU’s external border. Between July 30 and 31, approximately 50,000 to 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco by land and sea, in what local officials described as an unprecedented surge. At least 67 people died during the crossings, according to the Spanish government, with bodies recovered near the Tarajal breakwater. The influx was so massive that Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, said the arrivals amounted to roughly 70 percent of the city’s population of about 83,600.

BBC News reported that most of those entering Ceuta were young men, though women, children, and even babies were also among the crowds. Spanish officials estimated that at least 7,000 of those who crossed illegally were minors. By Friday evening, more than 48,000 migrants had voluntarily returned to Morocco, Spanish officials said.

The Letter’s Core Demands

The letter, addressed to European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin—whose country holds the rotating EU presidency—expresses “serious concern” over the developments at Ceuta. The signatories declare: “We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible. That a migrant’s illegal entry can turn into legal stay.”

The leaders specifically criticized Spain’s regularization of up to 1.2 million unauthorized migrants as a “pull factor” that fueled the crisis, and referenced the Spanish Supreme Court ruling that they say was “used to trigger this attack and abuse our migration and asylum system.” They requested that the Irish Presidency convene an extraordinary videoconference of EU Interior Ministers as a matter of urgency, and declared their readiness to reinforce or reintroduce temporary internal border controls within the Schengen area.

Politico reported that the signatories include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, and leaders from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden. Five EU member states did not sign: Spain, France, Portugal, Ireland, and Luxembourg.

Belgian Reactions

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s signature on the letter reflects Belgium’s position on the crisis. Belgian Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA) was unequivocal in her response, stating: “The message must be clear: whoever enters the European Union illegally must never receive a residence permit. As long as illegal entry can offer prospects of residence, smugglers will continue to exploit the situation and people will continue to undertake life-threatening routes, with sometimes dramatic consequences as we see again in Ceuta.”

However, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot distanced Belgium from calls to suspend Spain from the Schengen area, telling VRT NWS that “temporarily excluding Spain from the Schengen area would in no case be a solution. It would also deprive all Spaniards of their freedom of movement, as well as the many European tourists, among them a large number of our compatriots. That would be both unjust and disproportionate.”

MR party chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez took a harder line, calling for a partial suspension of Spain from the Schengen zone. According to HLN, Bouchez argued that “the sudden influx of migrants in Southern Europe is no coincidence” and that Sánchez is “putting all of Europe in danger, because we know that illegal immigration today is an easy source of cheap labor for serious crime, such as drug trafficking.”

Spain’s Response

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pushed back forcefully against his European critics. In a letter to EU leaders, Sánchez slammed what he called a “selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction,” arguing that such an attitude “is not only contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together, but also against Europe’s long-term interests and the most basic common sense.”

Sánchez has blamed trafficking gangs for the crisis, saying that criminal networks gave a “self-serving interpretation” of the Spanish Supreme Court ruling that “spread like wildfire” on social media. He called the influx a “violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.” The Spanish government has deployed military and police reinforcements to Ceuta and begun installing a 500-meter floating barrier at the Tarajal breakwater.

Schengen Tensions

The crisis has exposed deep divisions within the EU over migration policy. Italy imposed temporary border controls on arrivals from Spain, and France reinforced border checks with its southern neighbor. Germany extended its existing border controls, and Portugal announced increased border controls in the south. These measures have raised concerns about the future of the Schengen open-border area.

Der Spiegel noted that EU law experts have pointed out that no single member state can unilaterally suspend another member state from Schengen. The letter’s signatories, however, declared their readiness to “take any necessary measures, in accordance with Union law and the Schengen Borders Code, to safeguard public order and address risks arising from secondary movements.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the letter, saying: “The fight against illegal migration requires solidarity and a united European approach. We must learn lessons from this to improve our European resilience.” EU Interior Ministers are scheduled to hold a video conference on Tuesday, August 4, as requested.

Analysis: A Turning Point for EU Migration Policy

The Ceuta crisis and the subsequent letter represent a significant escalation in the EU’s migration debate. The fact that 22 of 27 member states signed the letter—including traditionally moderate governments in Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland—signals a hardening consensus on border enforcement across the continent.

The letter’s language about “hybrid threats” and the “instrumentalisation of migration” echoes previous incidents such as Belarus’s 2021 facilitation of migrant crossings into Poland and the Baltic states. It suggests that EU leaders increasingly view mass migration as a potential tool of political pressure that must be countered with collective resolve.

La Libre reported that the letter specifically requests that ministers consider enhanced Frontex support and the effectiveness of EU cooperation with Morocco—signaling that the EU is looking to strengthen its external border infrastructure and partnerships with North African countries.

What’s Next

The immediate next step is Tuesday’s video conference of EU Interior Ministers, which will assess the situation and seek a coordinated European response. Key questions include whether the EU will deploy additional Frontex resources to Ceuta, how cooperation with Morocco will be strengthened, and whether the temporary border controls imposed by Italy, France, and Germany will be lifted or extended.

The crisis has also raised deeper questions about the future of Schengen. As EU Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner noted, “There is currently no flow of migrants from Ceuta to the European mainland or other EU member states.” Yet the political fallout from the crisis—and the willingness of 22 leaders to sign a letter criticizing a fellow member state’s policies—suggests that migration will remain a defining and divisive issue for the European Union in the months ahead.