Ceuta was a test – and Europe's leaders failed it

Europe's leaders "failed the test" of solidarity and crisis planning in response to the migration wave at Ceuta, argues Ruben Andersson, a professor of social anthropology at Oxford. He contends that instead of a unified approach, European leaders panicked and opportunistically joined criticism of Spain's migration policies, paving the way for future crises at Europe's borders.

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Ceuta was a test – and Europe's leaders failed it.

Andersson points to reactions from Italy, Denmark, and Finland, as well as a letter signed by 21 EU leaders, including Sweden's Ulf Kristersson, that accused Madrid of undermining the fight against illegal migration. He states that these reactions, mirroring those of the far-right and the White House, are precisely what regimes seeking to "instrumentalize" migration crises desire.

The article highlights Ceuta as emblematic of the problems arising from the fight against migration. The Spanish enclave's border fence, a prototype for EU border fences, is heavily guarded by Spanish and Moroccan forces. However, Andersson notes that this militarization has led to instability, with a civil guard member telling him in 2010 that the fence was "useless." This reliance on Morocco has allowed Rabat to use migration as a political tool.

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These reactions are precisely what the actors who 'instrumentalize' migration crises for their own gain want to see.

Andersson explains that Morocco's primary objective has been to gain support for its position in the occupied Western Sahara. He cites the 2021 instance when Spain admitted the leader of the Polisario independence movement for COVID-19 treatment, prompting Morocco to open the border to Ceuta, leading to thousands of Moroccans crossing over. Spain subsequently accepted Morocco's plan for Western Sahara, a significant policy reversal.

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The fence is useless.

The author draws parallels to past instances where leaders threatened migration flows for political leverage, such as Libya's leader before the Arab Spring and Turkey's actions during the 2015 refugee crisis coinciding with its elections. Andersson concludes that politicians have learned how to exploit border dynamics, turning migration into a powerful instrument of political pressure.

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Rabat knows that they can destabilize Spain with migration.