Eighteen European Union countries have agreed to establish a unified mechanism to combat migrant influxes, infohub.kz reports.
The new measures were reported by Bild. The decision to adopt them came after the crisis in Ceuta, though Spanish representatives were absent from the meeting. Europe aims to prepare for sudden influxes of migrants at its external borders following recent events.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and 17 other EU ministers responsible for internal affairs and migration intend to develop a Europe-wide mechanism to respond to such migration crises.
According to the publication, the ministers agreed on a three-point plan. The first point provides for introducing EU-wide criteria under which the situation at external borders can be declared an emergency. Under the second point, migrants can be deported under an accelerated procedure when a crisis arises. The third point provides for creating a support mechanism that will allow Frontex rapid response forces to be deployed within 24 hours to an EU country facing a crisis at its external border.
It was previously reported that on the night of July 30-31, thousands of Moroccan migrants breached the border in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa — Spanish authorities mobilized the army.
Spanish authorities emphasized that by Friday evening most migrants had left Ceuta and returned to Morocco. Initially it was reported that at least 57 migrants died in a crush while trying to reach land along a wall topped with a border fence, and their bodies were pulled from the water.
In addition, Morocco's Interior Ministry explained what led to the migrant surge into Spain. The incident was linked to disinformation.
Later, migrants from Morocco demanded that Spain grant them refugee status. They held a protest rally where they put forward their demands.