Star Metro - Spain confronts EU migration hawks in tense Ceuta talks

The unprecedented sight of an estimated 50,000 people streaming into Ceuta from Morocco -- dozens died in the attempt and almost all have since left -- exposed the fault lines on migration among EU nations.

Since images first emerged of the mass arrivals, most of whom swam around a barrier separating the enclave from Morocco, the Spanish government has found itself pitted against many of its EU partners.

The bloc's interior ministers dialled in at 10:00 am (0800 GMT) for a videoconference that could provide a chance to look for common ground -- but looked equally likely to set the stage for a showdown.

While Spain moved swiftly to send migrants back from Ceuta -- where it said an estimated 2,500 remained as of Monday -- the government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez backs a more open approach to migration than most of its EU counterparts.

Countries pushing a harder line are led most vocally by Italy -- whose Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has attacked Madrid's stance, and specifically a recent push to grant legal status to undocumented migrants already in the country.

Both Italy and Denmark last week advocated suspending Spain from the Schengen free-travel area over the Ceuta crisis -- a notion firmly rejected by Madrid, and which in any case is legally impossible under EU rules.

- Letter war -

In a letter to the heads of the EU's institutions Saturday, Sanchez accused fellow EU countries of having "selfish" attitudes and called for emergency talks to work on a "common response" to such incidents.

Within hours, 22 countries led by Italy, Denmark, Germany and Hungary sent a counter-letter also demanding urgent talks, but with a different goal: to continue pressing their tough stance on immigration.

In a taste of what to expect, preparatory talks among the bloc's EU ambassadors on Monday saw Spain's envoy voice "frustration" with a perceived lack of support from fellow capitals, according to one EU diplomat.

Conversely -- while all assured Madrid of their "solidarity" -- some member states "are asking themselves if recent policies adopted by Spain have not sent the signal that the doors are open", added the diplomat.

The EU has significantly tightened its migration rules in recent months, including by allowing member states to send failed asylum seekers to so-called "return hubs" located outside the bloc's borders.

Italy was expected Tuesday to renew its push for the EU to set up such hubs in various African countries, on the model of an existing deal between Rome and Albania.

Rwanda and Uganda are among a dozen nations that have been scouted as potential partners to host such centres.

"I understand Spain's frustration with its failed migration policy, but we have a duty to protect Italy's borders," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

"What happened in Ceuta is not a minor incident; it poses a risk to the entire union."

EU heavyweight France has distanced itself from the 22-country initiative, saying it amounted to exploiting the situation in Ceuta for political ends.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has commended Sanchez's "swift handling" of the crisis, welcoming Tuesday's talks as a first step towards forging a "common European response".

The commission chief has urged the bloc to "double down" in five areas: preventing irregular migration in the first place via cooperation with partner states; strengthening external borders; implementing early warning systems; dismantling smuggling networks and reinforcing returns.

A.Desjardins--SMC