Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska on Saturday accused several European countries of adopting a "selfish," "unsupportive," and "irresponsible" stance after they called for Spain's temporary suspension from the Schengen Area over the recent influx of migrants into Ceuta.
Speaking at a press conference in the city of Ceuta, Grande-Marlaska said the overwhelming majority of European Union member states had expressed support for Spain's handling of the situation.
"Most EU countries have stood by Spain. But there are others that have taken advantage of this or have shown an absolutely selfish, unsupportive and irresponsible position," he said.
The minister stressed that Spain had previously demonstrated solidarity with other European countries during migration crises, arguing that the current criticism ignored the country's past contributions.
Grande-Marlaska also rejected calls to suspend Spain from the Schengen Area, insisting that such demands reflected either a misunderstanding of the legal framework or political opportunism.
"At this point, we are talking either about duplicity or ignorance, about not knowing the situation. Because Ceuta is not part of the Schengen Area. This has been used for purely political purposes," he said.
On Friday, authorities from several EU countries, including Italy, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Denmark, called for Spain's temporary exclusion from the Schengen Area following the surge in migrant arrivals into Ceuta.
