Agadir – Spain must comply with European Union regulations on migration and asylum, including rules under the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, Spanish Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz said today, following the European Commission’s position on the return of unaccompanied minors from Ceuta to Morocco.
Speaking to Spanish public broadcaster RNE, Saiz said Spain must follow “all community regulations” governing migration and asylum, rather than relying solely on its national Immigration Law.
“I insist that we must comply not only with the regulations of the Immigration Law, but also with all the regulations concerning the European Pact on Migration and Asylum and all EU regulations,” Saiz said, according to Spanish media.
Her remarks came after the European Commission said Tuesday that migrants illegally residing in Ceuta should be returned to Morocco, including unaccompanied foreign minors who entered the Spanish enclave during the recent mass migration surge.
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The Commission has also pointed to family reunification as a key principle in dealing with unaccompanied minors. EU rules provide safeguards for their return, including consideration of the child’s best interests and the requirement that an unaccompanied minor be returned only to a family member, designated guardian, or adequate reception facility.
Saiz said the Spanish government remains in contact with the European Commission and is maintaining “constant dialogue” with Morocco over the issue.
“Morocco is a reliable partner, relations are good, and there is ongoing dialogue on this issue,” she said, adding that the central question should be how any returns are carried out within a clear legal framework.
“Spain is not going to renounce international law,” Saiz said.
She stressed that Spain’s legal system would continue to protect the “best interests of the child,” regardless of the application of the new European migration framework.
“We have an Immigration Law, we have a new European framework, which is the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, and Spain will comply, as it has been doing, with the law that regulates this matter,” Saiz said.
The comments come amid continued scrutiny of Spain’s handling of the thousands of migrants and unaccompanied minors who entered Ceuta during the mass crossings at the end of July.
