The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted an amendment condemning the mass migrant flows into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta in late July, and demanding a thorough, independent investigation to clarify responsibility for the incident.
The amendment passed with 435 votes in favor, 209 against and 13 abstentions. It used terms such as "attack" and "invasion" to frame the incident as one involving the EU's southern border, and asked for an "independent and exhaustive" investigation to clarify responsibility for the planning and execution of the incident and its purpose.
In late July, large numbers of irregular migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco, triggering Spain's worst border migration crisis in years. The local government in Ceuta declared a state of emergency and asked Spain's central government to send in military support.
Juan Jesus Vivas, the Mayor-President of the autonomous city of Ceuta, said last Friday that around 13,000 irregular migrants remained stranded in the enclave, including many unaccompanied minors.
He also accused Morocco of using the border migration crisis to threaten Ceuta's territorial integrity and demanded the EU deliver a "firm response."
European Parliament condemns mass migrant crossing into Spain's Ceuta, urges full probe
Foreign passenger traffic from APEC member economies at Shenzhen Airport hit a historic high of 1.25 million in the first ten months of this year, local border inspection authorities said on Monday, as the city prepares to host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting later this month.
The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, from November 18 to 19, with preparations in the final stretch.
As the meeting approaches, the airport port is seeing another surge in passenger flow, with international flights from APEC member economies including South Korea, Mexico and Malaysia arriving in succession at noon on Monday.
In addition to the APEC meeting, visa-free policies and the expansion of the international route network have driven notable growth in foreign passenger flows this year. In the first ten months, foreign nationals entering and exiting through the airport port totaled about 1.56 million passenger trips, up 27.7 percent year on year and a record high for the same period, according to the border inspection station.
A total of 1.25 million foreign nationals from APEC member economies received border inspection, up 29.6 percent year on year, also a record high for the same period. Travelers from Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, and the United States ranked among the top sources.
Shenzhen Airport sees record passenger traffic from APEC economies in first ten months
