00:00But first, to Spain, where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his government are having a very difficult week.
00:06More than a month after thousands of irregular migrants entered Ceuta, the small Spanish city in North Africa,
00:12Pedro Sánchez is facing calls to step down.
00:15Speaking in Parliament, he defended his government's handling of the crisis
00:19and denied that there was any evidence that Moroccan authorities had orchestrated the mast crossing.
00:27Our agents had to make an operational decision in a few minutes.
00:31They had to choose between momentarily guaranteeing the border's tightness or defending human life.
00:36And they chose to defend human life.
00:39We have also requested financial and institutional support from the European Commission.
00:46Let's face it, it did not set the example of solidarity that I believe all Spaniards expecting during these days.
00:51Certainly, in Spain, we say that the European Union is above all about solidarity.
00:56It was in La Medusa.
00:58It is so in Greenland.
00:59And it is also so in the Canary Islands.
01:03For reactions now from the opposition on how this is impacting Spain
01:05and also, of course, EU migration policy,
01:08we're joined now by Antonio López Estudis,
01:10Spanish MEP from the European People's Party.
01:13Good morning, Mr. López.
01:14Thank you so much for joining us.
01:16Now, we've seen Spaniards protesting this week over the government's handling of the crisis.
01:19Tell me, what would your party have done differently here?
01:24Good morning, Maif, and thank you very much for this invitation.
01:29Of course, our party would have paid attention in government to the reports
01:34that were given by the National Police and the Intelligence Services two days before,
01:41advising the government about the crisis that was going to be developed.
01:46That is where the Prime Minister of Spain lied clearly.
01:51He always maintained during the whole month of August that there was no information,
01:56that they didn't know anything about it.
01:58But now we know, thanks to the leaking, unfortunately,
02:02but this is the case of reports, you know, that tell us a very different story.
02:08So what role do you believe Morocco played here?
02:12A role who played who?
02:14Morocco.
02:16Ah, Morocco.
02:17Well, it is clear from these reports, and this will, it's now in the hands of the judges in Spain.
02:23I will go through the usual judiciary process of investigation,
02:28but there are these leaking photographs of Moroccan police helping these 80,000 people
02:37descending from trucks and going into the Spanish frontier.
02:41I cannot tell you this is true or not.
02:43Judges will tell us, you know, and the further investigation,
02:46but it is clear that at some level it seems that Morocco was involved in this.
02:52This is not, by the way, the first time.
02:53Remember that in 2021, already the European Parliament condemned the Spanish government
02:58for doing exactly the same.
03:00Nothing against this kind of test from the Moroccan government.
03:05And there's a lot of disinformation and misinformation online as well about this episode.
03:09Do you think that there's Israeli bots or Russian bots here responsible,
03:12like Pedro Sánchez has suggested?
03:14No, no, this is the usual neighboring relation, you know, that has happened before.
03:20At that time in 2021, Israel or the United States, no one had Russia, no one had nothing to do.
03:26It's always the same.
03:28It's Morocco testing the will of a government in Spain to keep the frontier safe for Spain and Europe.
03:35Of course, now the moment is clear.
03:39The Spanish government is surrounded by scandals, corruption.
03:44A minister was condemned for 24 years in jail for corruption.
03:48The wife of the prime minister, his brother, are indicted.
03:52I mean, what else can you ask here?
03:54You know, this is weakness.
03:56The Spanish government is weak.
03:58And unfortunately, this is also European interests.
04:01OK, Antonio López Estoriz, thank you so much for joining us this morning
04:04and bringing the view from the European People's Party on that crisis that's hit Spain.
04:10You
