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Crisis in the Spanish City of Ceuta

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On 30th July and 31st around 80.000 people coming from Morocco illegally entered the city of Ceuta violating Spanish and European territorial integrity. These events brought about a major crisis that continues today. It is a major security, social, economic and sovereignty crisis.
We express our full solidarity with the citizens of Ceuta. We regret the loss of life that has occurred during this crisis. We commend the behaviour of Ceuta’s citizens, local authorities, and all public servants, in particular, Spanish security bodies and army, as well as civil society organizations. Ceuta’s citizens are European citizens.
We express our deep concern regarding the situation the people of Ceuta continue to endure, due to unreturned migrants, violent incidents towards locals and security forces, including sexual violence against women and minors, the mental health of local citizens and the conditions under which security and sanitary civil servants have to operate.
We strongly condemn the aggression against a European territory. Moroccan authorities are responsible, whether by action or omission, as the invasion came from its territory and we strongly condemn migrant smuggling and trafficking as a criminal act. These events are hybrid warfare against the territorial integrity of a Member State.
We underline that the Spanish city of Ceuta is EU territory and the violation of its borders is a violation of the EU´s external borders. We recall the inviolability of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of EU Member States, which is non-negotiable. Violating this principle of international law undermines the necessary good cooperation between the EU and its neighbours. We reject the unfounded Moroccan sovereignty claims over Spanish territories in North Africa.
We reiterate our urgent call for Frontex to be permanently deployed in Ceuta and Melilla to help protect the EU’s southern border. Therefore, the Spanish government’s one-month delay in requesting Frontex assistance after the Commission’s proposal is irresponsible.
Such a crisis requires a coordinated, effective and transparent response from the central government, which bears ultimate responsibility for ensuring national security and safeguarding the dignity of the Spanish people. However, many questions remain unanswered: the number of crossings and returns, the reasons for the delay in requesting EU assistance, the inaction of Moroccan security forces at the time of the massive irregular crossing and a timetable for ensuring that all those who entered illegally are returned to Morocco.
We condemn the policies that have served as pull factors for mass migration, such as the regularisation of a very large –and still unclear– number of irregular migrants implemented by the Spanish government. The crisis in Ceuta and the failure of the Spanish Government to deliver an adequate and quick reaction indicate the necessity to improve and strengthen an EU-based early warning system. A system covering all information to get a complete overview of the situation, especially the monitoring of social networks.
Therefore, the European People’s Party:
• Calls on the EU to adopt legislative measures authorising refusal of entry or returns without individual asylum procedures for illegal migrants used in a hybrid attack as announced in the State of the Union speech of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
• Calls on the EU to move all fundamental rights observers from Frontex to the EU Fundamental Rights Agency in order to streamline the fundamental rights work in the EU‘s agencies and increase the operational effectiveness of Frontex.
• Calls on the Spanish Government to cooperate with Morocco to ensure that all migrants including unaccompanied minors, who entered Ceuta irregularly on 30 and 31 July are returned in full compliance with international human rights standards.
• Calls on all member states of the Council of Europe to adopt an additional protocol on asylum and migration authorising refusal of entry or returns without individual asylum procedures for illegal migrants used in a hybrid attack.
• Calls for the strict compliance with and effective implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, applicable since 12 June 2026, and for full respect for the obligations arising from it for all Member States.
• Calls on the EU to build an effective early warning system to get a complete overview of the situation and to establish a special unit at Frontex which should closely cooperate with Europol and EUAA.
• Calls on the Spanish Government to facilitate the deployment and proper functioning of Frontex and Europol resources in Ceuta on permanent basis.
• Calls on the Moroccan authorities to fulfil their responsibilities and commitments on border management, fight against migrant smuggling, return and migration cooperation.
• Calls for an independent investigation to identify the legal entities and individuals who instrumentalised illegal migration as an act of hybrid warfare against Spain and the EU.
• Calls for upholding the principle of territorial integrity. The relationship between neighbours must be based on reciprocity and mutual respect.
• Welcomes the recently announced European framework for situations of mass and instrumentalised migratory pressure, with clear and objective criteria for its activation. In clearly defined exceptional situations, member countries should be given the option to temporarily suspend asylum applications for newly arrived persons while proceeding with the swift return of those not entitled to remain.


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