OMM Redaksiyası
The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted an amendment condemning the mass influx of migrants into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta at the end of July.
A total of 435 lawmakers voted in favor of the amendment, while 209 voted against and 13 abstained.
The Parliament described the incident as an “attack” and “invasion” targeting the European Union’s southern border. It called for an “independent and comprehensive” investigation to establish responsibility for planning and carrying out the incident, as well as its purpose.
At the end of July, large numbers of irregular migrants crossed into the enclave from Moroccan territory, where Ceuta is located. The incident triggered one of Spain’s most serious border migration crises in recent years.
Ceuta’s local government declared a state of emergency and asked Spain’s central government to send military support.
Ceuta Mayor Juan Jesús Vivas said last Friday that around 13,000 irregular migrants, including unaccompanied minors, remained in the enclave.
Vivas also alleged that Morocco had used the border migration crisis to exert pressure on Ceuta’s territorial integrity and called for a decisive response from the European Union.
Ceuta is one of two Spanish-administered cities on Morocco’s northern coast and is located at the EU’s external border in North Africa. Migration pressures in the area have repeatedly raised concerns about border security, humanitarian conditions and relations between Spain, Morocco and the European Union.
