Ceuta mass migrant crossing handling 'responsibility of all EU,' Spanish king says

MADRID, Sept 29 - European countries should have shown more solidarity and offered more support to Spain after the mass arrival in Ceuta of tens of thousands of migrants, Spanish King Felipe VI said on Tuesday during a gala dinner to mark a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron.

In an unusually outspoken address reflecting the depth of the crisis facing Spain following the Ceuta border rush that took place two months ago on Wednesday, the king said what happened in the enclave on the North African coast was "unacceptable" and generated an enormous security, public order and humanitarian challenge.

"It's a situation that ought to have as a consequence a reinforcement of collaboration between member states in resources and cooperation," he said. "The European countries that suffer the most pressure from being on the external borders of the European Union cannot alone bear a responsibility that also belongs to everyone."

The king spoke during a dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid also attended by Spain's Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, a rare European proponent of the benefits of migration who launched a mass regularisation of irregular migrants that concluded in the summer.  Sanchez, however, has proposed possible changes to asylum rules to return arrivals more quickly, which NGOs and lawyers say would violate human rights conventions.

Asked in a news conference about the plans, territorial policy minister Angel Victor Torres said the government was "analysing the possibility" of a legislative amendment but that it was "not easy" due to questions of international law.

Following the mass crossing of 72,000 migrants into Ceuta on July 30, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commended Spain's swift action in returning most arrivals to Morocco. Other leaders were less understanding, however, with Italy suspending the European Union's border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain for one month.

European Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner unveiled a plan on Tuesday to strengthen EU border controls in the wake of Ceuta.

The plan, which requires the approval of member states, would strengthen the mandate of Frontex, the EU border protection agency, and give it a standing corps ready for immediate deployment. REUTERS