The former EU foreign policy chief and former Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell on 24 August 2026 in Santander strongly criticised the response by several member states to the latest crisis in Ceuta . The European response had been “hysterical, disproportionate and in part absurd”, he said at the opening of a summer course at the Universidad Internacional Menéndez y Pelayo. He also defended Spain’s crisis management and referred to its legal duties to protect minors and asylum seekers.
Borrell accused individual capitals and voices in the European Commission of alarmism and lamented the lack of genuine solidarity within the European Union. In his words, only a few governments had assessed the situation in a nuanced way. He stressed that public communication in Europe must reflect the facts and must not be dominated by short-term domestic political considerations.
The debate was prompted by events in late July 2026, when irregular crossings at the land border with the Spanish exclave of Ceuta rose sharply. Spanish authorities activated emergency measures, while Spain and Morocco stepped up their operational coordination. The developments prompted renewed discussions in Madrid and Brussels on border protection, asylum procedures and the sharing of responsibility within the European Union.
Borrell referred to the relevant provisions of Spanish and European law: minors must be identified and protected; asylum applications must be assessed individually; collective expulsions are prohibited. Returns following border crossings require robust bilateral arrangements with Morocco in practice, as well as compliance with procedural and human rights safeguards. Blanket measures, Borrell said, would jeopardise the rule of law and political credibility.
The intervention in Santander has intensified Spain’s political debate over the direction of migration policy and the role of the European Union. While the government defends its actions in Ceuta, some opposition voices are calling for more restrictive border measures. In Brussels, the European Commission is likely to come under pressure to clarify the lessons from the episode and improve coordination with member states. Borrell’s warning that European rules must be applied consistently while maintaining the capacity to act gives the debate a clear legal and political framework.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).