The heads of State and Government of the Med9, the group that brings together the Mediterranean countries of the EU, have approved a joint declaration in which they emphasize that the protection of the community's external border is a "shared responsibility" and demand a reinforcement of solidarity following what happened last July in Ceuta, when the entry of thousands of migrants occurred.
The declaration was made public at the end of the summit held in Split (Croatia), with the participation of the leaders of the nine member States that make up this forum: France, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Greece, Slovenia, Portugal, and Spain.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, was initially among the attendees but canceled his trip after announcing the electoral advance. In his place, Spain has been represented by the Secretary of State for the EU, Fernando Sampedro.
The document, signed among others by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, and the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, states that "the effective protection of the EU's external borders is both a shared responsibility and essential to maintain a credible and sustainable migration and asylum policy."
The signatories acknowledge that the crisis experienced in Ceuta has highlighted "the need for a united response based on solidarity at the EU level to the sudden and large-scale pressure at any of the EU's external borders."
In the same vein, the Mediterranean leaders emphasize that "protecting the external borders of the Union is a shared European responsibility and that European solidarity must be applied equally across all sections of those borders."
The Spanish Government has been criticizing the lack of support from some partners following the massive arrival of 80,000 migrants in Ceuta, with special mention to Italy, which decided to immediately reintroduce Schengen controls with Spain and, more than two months later, has still not lifted them.
Despite this, in the text of the Med9, which also bears Meloni's signature, the leaders reaffirm their "solidarity with the member States under pressure" and highlight "the importance of strong preparedness, early warning, and timely political, operational, and financial support from the EU," in addition to "efficient border management, in full compliance with International Law and EU Law."
Likewise, they emphasize that "these efforts should include measures to counteract misinformation related to migration, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling" and celebrate the entry into force of the Migration and Asylum Pact, insisting on the relevance of applying it in its entirety.