The migration crisis in Ceuta takes a new leap onto the European stage. Iustitia Europa has presented this Tuesday a formal complaint to the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council, and the Council of the European Union to demand an investigation into the massive entry of immigrants from Morocco and into the response that, in its opinion, the community institutions and several member states have offered following the events.
The initiative comes at a time of maximum political and diplomatic tension, after Italy decided to reinforce controls on travelers coming from Spain and that several European governments have demanded explanations from Pedro Sánchez's Executive for the management of the crisis. In this context, Iustitia Europa considers that the European Union is shifting the consequences to the country that, it claims, has suffered the aggression, instead of focusing on Morocco.
In the document sent to the community institutions, the organization argues that the entry of nearly 70,000 people from Moroccan territory cannot be interpreted as a spontaneous migration phenomenon, but rather as an act of extraordinary seriousness that affected national sovereignty, state security, and one of the external borders of the European Union.
Against Italy's position
The complaint also recalls that the National Court has already initiated preliminary proceedings following the complaint filed by the president of Iustitia Europa, Luis María Pardo, to investigate whether the events could have been the result of an organized action or directed by a criminal organization. In the party's view, the existence of this judicial investigation reinforces the need for European institutions to also analyze what happened.
One of the main criticisms from the organization is directed at the reaction of some community partners. Iustitia Europa considers it "incomprehensible" that, while the Spanish Justice investigates events it considers of special gravity, certain member states have chosen to impose restrictions or reinforce controls on Spain, instead of demanding accountability from the Kingdom of Morocco.
In this sense, the organization maintains that this response is incompatible with the principles of solidarity, loyal cooperation, and defense of the external borders that inspire the community project. In its view, if the affected border is a border of the European Union, the response should also be common and aimed at clarifying the origin of the events.
What happens with the attacked State?
The president of Iustitia Europa, Luis María Pardo, states that "we do not accept that the European Union remains silent in the face of the aggressor while pointing at the attacked State." In his opinion, if the National Court considers that there are sufficient elements to investigate what happened, "the European institutions have the political and moral obligation to also investigate what happened, who allowed it, and why some governments decided to punish Spain instead of demanding accountability from Morocco."
Pardo also argues that the protection of national sovereignty must be placed above ideological and partisan differences. "We defend a patriotism above ideologies and parties, transversal, that places the defense of Spain above any partisan or supranational interest." "No institution makes sense if it does not first protect the nations and citizens that sustain it," he points out.
Investigate Morocco
In its complaint, Iustitia Europa argues that Spain cannot become the only State that bears the consequences of an action carried out from foreign territory while, it claims, the origin of the events is avoided in analysis. Therefore, it formally requests the European institutions to open an investigation that encompasses both the actions of Morocco and the response offered by the member States and by the European Union's own bodies.
The organization concludes that the crisis in Ceuta has ceased to be an exclusively Spanish issue to become a challenge that directly affects the security of the external borders of the Union. Consequently, it demands that Brussels clarify what happened, determine the responsibilities that may arise from the investigation, and adopt the necessary measures to prevent a similar situation from happening again on European territory.