The Belgian Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot, emphasized this Wednesday that his government has "never" requested to remove Spain from the Schengen area following the migratory crisis of last week in Ceuta and insisted that a decision of that kind would be "unjust and disproportionate." At the same time, he warned that the extraordinary regularization promoted by the Spanish government could have sent an "ambiguous message" beyond the borders of the European Union.
"Temporarily excluding Spain from the Schengen zone would not be a solution at all," he wrote in a lengthy statement on social media, where he highlighted that such an exclusion would restrict the freedom of movement of Spanish citizens and would also harm many European visitors, including numerous Belgians.
The head of Belgian diplomacy clarified that his country has not attempted to interfere in Spanish internal politics and detailed that this stance was explicitly recorded in a Belgian addendum added to the letter signed by 22 European leaders, including the Prime Minister of Belgium.
In addition, he indicated that the Belgian permanent ambassador to the EU and the Minister of Migration reiterated this position in meetings held at the beginning of the week, in which, he noted, the efforts of Spain and Morocco to quickly contain the situation at the border were also evaluated.
The minister highlighted that "the vast majority" of those who crossed into Ceuta returned to Morocco in less than 48 hours and that none of those people reached mainland Spain, which is why he argues that the European reaction must be based on cooperation and not on sanctions that punish the entire Spanish population.
"No one rightly proposed a similar measure against Italy when it was 'overwhelmed' by the arrival of migrants in Lampedusa," Prévot recalled, who defended that this "common sense" approach ended up prevailing both in European debates and among the "vast majority" of member states.
Criticism of the extraordinary regularization
Although he rules out any suspension of Spain from the free movement area, Prévot believes that the extraordinary regularization pushed by the Spanish government may have sent a wrong signal outside the EU.
"One can think objectively that the mass regularization campaign in Spain sent an ambiguous message outside the borders of Europe. And, as a principle, one must avoid giving the impression that any illegal entry, especially if facilitated by traffickers and mafias that live off the misery of others, could give the right to legal stay in Europe," he pointed out.
In this line, he advocates for strengthening the control of the external community borders, although he emphasizes that this objective will only be viable through a "collective and supportive" effort of the Twenty-Seven.
"When a member state faces difficulties, only European solidarity will be our strength and our lifeline," he noted, warning that the EU will generate its "own fragility" if governments prioritize the pressures of internal politics over a common vision on migration.
Prévot also calls for intensifying the fight against irregular immigration networks, better organizing legal residence pathways, and accelerating the return of those who have an order to leave the territory, a strategy that, in his opinion, would help preserve the credibility of the reception systems for those who meet the requirements for international protection.
"We must be firm in order to also be more humane with those who legitimately seek asylum," he added, warning that economic, climatic, demographic, and geopolitical tensions will turn this century into "the century of migrations," regardless of what European governments desire.
However, the minister maintains that the migration policies of the EU and Belgium are bearing fruit and refers to figures from Frontex that, he indicated, place irregular entries at the borders of the Union at their lowest level in the last five years.
Warning about a "hybrid algorithmic attack"
Prévot has also urged to analyze in detail the origin and development of the events in Ceuta, in light of the hypothesis that the migratory mobilization was driven by a coordinated disinformation operation on social media.
To this end, he refers to a study by former European Commissioner Thierry Breton, which defines what happened as "the first large-scale hybrid algorithmic attack" against an external border of the European Union.
According to the account cited by the minister, in the days leading up to the crisis, manipulated interpretations of the Supreme Court ruling on the so-called "hot returns" circulated, as well as rumors claiming that the border would be "open at 10:00 PM." At the same time, a Facebook group with more than 20,000 members shared maps with the distances to swim across the Tarajal area, routes, necessary materials, and possible ways of financing.
"The enemy is no longer just the one who physically pushes migrants towards a fence, but also the one who directs flows of information towards vulnerable populations," the analysis disseminated by Prévot states, emphasizing that the borders of the 21st century have both a "physical" and "informative" dimension.
Defense of nuances against polarization
On the other hand, Prévot has responded to those who reproach him for his supposed "silence" in the extraordinary meeting of European ministers held this week, reminding that migration issues correspond to the heads of Interior or Migration and not to those responsible for Foreign Affairs.
The minister has accused his detractors of preferring "strident and polarizing" statements and has claimed that the diplomatic task consists precisely of avoiding verbal escalations that could damage a country's international credibility and its ties with other partners.
"In a world that is going crazy and that flatters the extremes, I am more convinced than ever that defending nuances is a true act of resistance," he has pointed out.
Finally, he has asked to distinguish between the opinions of the leaders of the parties that are part of the Belgian coalition and the official position of the Government, since the statements of those officials, even if they belong to the parliamentary majority, "do not necessarily commit" the entire Executive.