Bouchez Calls for Partial Suspension of Spain from Schengen Over Ceuta Crisis

Georges-Louis Bouchez, president of Belgium’s liberal MR party, has called for a partial suspension of Spain from the Schengen area in response to the migration crisis at Ceuta, where at least 72 migrants have died attempting to reach the Spanish enclave. The proposal, made on Sunday, demands targeted border controls on people arriving from Spain and escalates tensions over migration management at Europe’s southern borders.

The Ceuta Crisis

Between July 30 and 31, an estimated 60,000 people crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, representing approximately 70 percent of the city’s population of around 80,000, according to DH Les Sports+. Most entered by swimming around the Tarajal and Benzú breakwaters or crossing on foot along the shoreline. By July 31, over 48,000 migrants had voluntarily returned to Morocco, while a smaller group largely composed of Sub-Saharan African men remained in Ceuta seeking asylum.

The death toll has continued to climb, with at least 72 confirmed fatalities by August 2, mostly from drowning. Ceuta’s mayor-president, Juan Jesús Vivas, described the scale of the influx as equivalent to “34 million people entering Spanish territory in 24 hours.”

Bouchez’s Demand

Speaking on social media, Bouchez argued that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his socialist government bear direct responsibility for the crisis. “With a massive regularization procedure, Spain perfectly illustrates what a pull factor is. The more permissive a country is with immigration, the more illegal immigration will be important,” he said, as reported by La Libre.

The MR leader specifically cited Spain’s mass regularization scheme, which drew 1.2 million applications, as a key driver of the influx. He also linked illegal immigration to organized crime, noting that “43% of our prisoners are not Belgian nationals, most of them in illegal stay.”

The liberal party is demanding “targeted controls on people coming from Spain, with a partial suspension of Spain in the Schengen area regarding the free movement of persons,” according to RTBF. Bouchez advocates for “chosen and targeted migration” while maintaining humanitarian duties, citing Denmark’s example where asylum applications fell by 82 percent between 2014 and 2019 following stricter policies, as noted by 21news.be.

Belgian Government Divisions

The proposal has exposed divisions within the Belgian government. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot rejected the idea outright, stating that “the temporary exclusion of Spain from the Schengen area would in no way be a solution,” arguing it would unfairly deprive all Spaniards and European tourists of their freedom of movement. However, Prévot also emphasized that “controlling borders, adopting a firmer position towards illegal migrants and dismantling the economic model of people smugglers is not incompatible with a humane approach: it is a prerequisite for it,” as reported by RTBF.

Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA) took a firmer stance, declaring that “the massive and illegal assault on our external borders must never be rewarded with a right of residence.” She called for a firm EU response, including organized collective returns with Frontex support if necessary.

European Escalation

Bouchez’s call comes amid a broader European backlash against Spain’s migration management. Italy has already suspended Schengen with Spain, France has reimposed border checks at the French-Spanish border, and Finland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic have called for Spain’s exclusion from the Schengen area. Finnish Interior Minister Mari Rantanen stated that “such countries that don’t uphold their obligations to protect the outer border cannot be members of the Schengen.”

Twenty-two EU member states, including Belgium, signed a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa calling for coordinated action on migration, according to Politico. The leaders expressed “serious concern” over the threat to the EU’s frontier and identified Spain’s regularization scheme as a “pull factor” that fueled the crisis.

Spanish PM Sánchez has pushed back forcefully, accusing EU partners of responding in a “selfish” and “unlawful” manner and claiming those backing Spain’s exclusion were “driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest.” He described the migrant influx as “an attack, a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.”

What’s Next

EU interior ministers are scheduled to meet via videoconference on Tuesday, August 4, to discuss the crisis and coordinate a response. The meeting comes as the 2026 Morocco-Spain border incident has reignited fundamental questions about the EU’s migration policy, the integrity of the Schengen area, and the bloc’s ability to respond collectively to external border pressures.

The crisis has also been linked to Morocco-Spain diplomatic tensions over Spain’s recent reconciliation with Algeria and the Western Sahara dispute, raising concerns that migration is being weaponized as a tool of diplomatic pressure. As European leaders prepare to meet, the challenge will be balancing border security with the EU’s humanitarian obligations while maintaining unity in the face of one of the bloc’s most divisive policy challenges.