EU backs Spain over Ceuta, but the official story is shaky

Ceuta: the EU applauds the handling, but the reality doesn't add up
While the EU-27 congratulate Spain on swiftly managing the Ceuta crisis and express their solidarity, the situation on the ground still raises serious doubts. The figures on the removals don't quite add up: if the official narrative speaks of normality, various sources suggest that between 5,000 and 15,000 people could still be in the autonomous city. The paradox is obvious: the EU certifies a success that at the border is not perceived as such.
The official applause
The statement by the EU-27, picked up by Europa Press, acknowledges how quickly Spain responded to the entry of migrants into Ceuta and shows its support. A political gesture that comes after the episode exposed the fragility of Europe's borders in North Africa. But the recognition is not unanimous: within Spain, many question both the official reading and the outcome of the crisis itself.
The critical version
The criticism focuses on two fronts. First, the government's passivity: it is argued that the solution came not from decisive action, but because the migrants themselves decided to return on their own, fed up or hungry. Second, the real scale of the problem: while the propaganda speaks of a resolved crisis, it is stressed that most of those who took part in the entry were 'extras' and that the most problematic profiles (persecuted people, pardoned prisoners, spies) would remain in the city or had already crossed to the mainland. Some estimates speak of thousands of people still in Ceuta, which contradicts the official narrative.
An uncomfortable question remains: if Segarro used this influx as a test of Spain's response capacity, what it has seen does not invite optimism. The EU can applaud; the border, however, remains the same sieve. What will Rabat have learned from this test?