Estonian opposition leader backs temporary Schengen border checks amid migration concerns

Center Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart on Saturday backed the idea of temporarily restoring border controls within the Schengen area, arguing that Estonia must put security above slogans about free movement.

In a social media post, he referred to the migration crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta as an example of how quickly border pressure can escalate. According to Kõlvart, decisions by authorities and courts helped create conditions in which tens of thousands of people entered Europe within a short time. He said it was unclear to what extent this was unintentional or deliberately encouraged from outside, but the episode demonstrated how easily such a crisis can appear and intensify. He also described migration pressure as a hybrid tactic used against Europe.

Kõlvart said that in a crisis every country must first defend its own interests, citing Italy's temporary restoration of border controls with Spain. "Estonia, too, must put its own interests first and prioritize its own security," he said.

The opposition leader criticized Prime Minister Kristen Michal for saying that free movement is a top priority and that temporary reintroduction of Schengen border checks is not in Estonia's interests. Kõlvart called that stance a slogan detached from reality. "Free movement does not outweigh the need to mitigate the security threats Europe is currently facing," he argued.

He also dismissed Michal's calls to hold organizers of migration accountable as mere rhetoric, saying matters had already gone out of control and damage had been done in Spain. Kõlvart warned that Estonia is currently unprepared for a migration crisis of this kind, and even a much smaller one would be catastrophic for the country.

He stressed this does not mean EU members should refuse help; Estonia should assist Spain, but Spain must take appropriate steps to resolve the crisis and prevent its recurrence. Kõlvart said the problem cannot be addressed by letting it spread across Europe. Although many migrants have left Spain, he said guarantees are needed that further waves will not follow. Until then, temporary border controls are a necessary and justified step.

The background: about 60,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco this week. Spanish officials said over 48,000 had voluntarily returned to Morocco by Friday evening. The influx came after Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Michal signed a joint letter with 21 other member states to EU leaders calling for an immediate, coordinated European response. Responding to comments by opposition Isamaa leader Urmas Reinsalu, Michal rejected the idea of suspending free movement even in a critical situation. He called Schengen a "great value" and said creating new internal borders does not serve Estonia's interests. "None of us wants to return to a time when traveling overland to Central Europe meant passing through more than five cumbersome border checks," he wrote on social media.