Katelynas calls for stronger EU external border after Ceuta influx
Tuesday 4th August 2026 on 12:30 in
Lithuania
Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas has called for a stronger European Union external border after discussing recent events in Ceuta with EU counterparts by videoconference on Tuesday, LRT reported.
“Without a strong European Union external border, there will be no secure Europe,” Katelynas said. He warned that the EU could not afford merely to react to crises, as illegal migration could otherwise become uncontrollable.
He said the bloc needed to act in advance by strengthening external border protection, preventing illegal migration and combating migrant smuggling and disinformation.
Lithuania positively assessed the rapid and effective actions taken by Spanish institutions to restore control of the situation in Ceuta, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry.
“Migration is increasingly becoming a tool of hybrid attacks aimed at testing our resilience and dividing the European Union,” Katelynas said. He added that the EU’s response had to be united and decisive, showing that the bloc’s border was not its weak point.
Katelynas said Lithuania was ready to share its experience. He also stressed the importance of close cooperation with third countries, which should take responsibility for preventing illegal migration flows and readmitting their citizens.
He said the EU should consistently use all available political and economic measures to achieve these goals.
Lithuania also urged the EU to strengthen the capacities of Frontex and Europol, develop a common understanding of hybrid threats across the bloc, plan funding priorities accordingly and improve Europe’s ability to counter disinformation, propaganda and information manipulation by foreign states.
About 60,000 migrants arrived last week in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, and at least 72 people died during the influx, according to the report. The surge created significant tensions among the EU’s 27 member states. Italy and Denmark, which take particularly strict positions on migration, even called for Spain’s participation in the Schengen free-movement area to be suspended.