Ceuta reminds us of the harsh facts: “Vladimir Putin style” – Researchers slam Finland and Italy

The migrant episode seen in the Spanish autonomous region of Ceuta on Friday, according to experts, starkly reveals Europe’s greatest weakness, namely its lack of unity.

According to the Spanish government, around 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta over the weekend. According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, most of them returned to Morocco on their own initiative during Friday.

Among the EU countries, Italy and Finland reacted most harshly to the situation.

Italy introduced temporary border controls for flights and cruise ships arriving from Spain for a month. In Finland, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (PS) told MTV on Friday evening that she had begun preparations to restore internal border controls.

“Putin’s style”

Chatham House special advisor Nic Lawley describes the situation within the EU as a diplomatic crisis. He also points out that the reactions of Italy and Finland are only making the situation worse.

“Whatever the cause of the crisis, it is and will remain a common problem for the EU. To see it as a failure of Spain, to which the response is to suspend the Schengen agreement, will only help those who want to increase pressure on Europe,” Lawley analyzes.

Several international policy experts point out that situations similar to Ceuta have been seen before, for example in neighboring countries such as Belarus. Some experts also highlight the role of US President Donald Trump, who is known to be a close ally of King Muhammad VI of Morocco.

“This Ceuta crisis is not related to Spanish immigration policy. That is certain. It is about Moroccan decisions, but there may be more behind it. It is possible that some in the United States hope to challenge Spain’s territorial sovereignty, as was done with Denmark and Greenland. Vladimir Putin-style,” comments Gerald Knaus, director of the think tank ESI.

Not the first time

Many experts point out that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Algeria for the first time in four years just a few days ago. This reportedly did not please the Moroccan king.

Matteo Villa, researcher and director of the Italian foreign policy institute ISPI, points out that Morocco has reacted by sending migrants to Ceuta before, most recently in 2021.

“Morocco’s border control, which is also financed by EU funds, has been repeatedly used for political pressure. The fact that most of the migrants who arrived in Ceuta have already returned to Morocco confirms the highly political nature of the crisis and the fact that the risk of these migrants moving to other parts of Europe is very low. That is why the reactions of Italy and certain other European countries seem disproportionate,” says Villa.

The military adviser for international security, General EVP Ivan Caruso, believes that the Ceuta crisis has once again demonstrated the central importance of the EU’s southern border and the Mediterranean region for Europe as a whole.

“This is a reminder that we should keep in mind: Europe’s stability depends not only on its eastern borders, but also, and increasingly, on its southern borders,” he says in his analysis.

It’s not just a border crisis

Alberto Alemanno, a professor of European law, agrees, stressing that even a temporary suspension of the Schengen Agreement is against EU law.

“Europe’s response to the Ceuta crisis will go down in history as an own goal that feeds our worst enemies. Spain defended Europe’s external border and Italy, Denmark and Finland are trying to punish it. What if the real failure was not border control but European solidarity? If Europeans cannot trust each other when a member state is under pressure on the Union’s external border, what can they trust when the threat is military and not immigration-related?” he asks.

Jarno Limnell, a doctor of military science and a member of parliament for the National Coalition Party, describes the Ceuta crisis as a precedent for how Europe acts when there is great and rapidly developing pressure on its external borders.

“If Europe shows determination, it also strengthens its fear of other security threats. If, on the other hand, it appears hesitant or divided, the message will quickly spread to those states that are constantly looking for new ways to test European unity. In security policy, weakness rarely goes unnoticed, and even more rarely is it exploited,” he writes on his Puheenvuoron blog.

For this reason, according to Limnell, Ceuta is not just a border crisis.

“It is a test of Europe’s credibility. Its outcome will have a much wider impact than the southern shore of the Mediterranean. It will affect how Europe is seen in the midst of future crises.”