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Source: ABC News |
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Few facts on Ceuta |
Ceuta is a small Spanish city on the coast of North Africa. It is home to over 80 thousand people. It borders Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea. It faces the Strait of Gibraltar. It forms one of the EU’s only land borders with Africa. Melilla, Spain’s other North African exclave, shares the same characteristics. |
Although Ceuta is a Spanish territory and part of the Schengen area, it has special customs and border rules. Movement between the exclave and mainland Spain is subject to identity checks. So, migrants do not gain unrestricted access to Europe. |
Immigration wave |
Ceuta has faced migration crises before. In 2021, over 9 thousand people entered after Moroccan border controls were relaxed during a dispute with Spain. But a much larger wave hit Ceuta last week. This event created panic in Ceuta, mainland Spain and across Europe. |
Estimates suggest that up to 60 thousand people entered the city from Morocco. Most of them were young men. People crossed through border areas and swam towards Ceuta’s beaches. At least 70 migrants died and a thousand needed medical care. Ceuta did not expect such a wave and did not have the means to address it. People were scared. Shops closed. Spain sent security reinforcements. It managed to send back most of the migrants to Morocco. |
Several factors may explain the massive movement. Poverty and high unemployment in Morocco played a role. But online false claims and smugglers also played a key role. They reportedly used Spain’s migration policy and a recent court ruling to organize the movement. People thought they would be allowed to stay in Spain, and more broadly in Europe, if they reached Ceuta. |
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Spain’s policy |
Spain has followed a more open immigration policy than many other EU states. Its government argues that migration can support the economy. Spain has an ageing population. It needs workers in sectors like: |
Farming Tourism Construction Healthcare Domestic services
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This year, Spain introduced a large regularization program. The goal was to support the legal economy. This measure would increase tax payments, protect workers, and reduce illegal employment. It offered temporary legal status to undocumented migrants. The latter had to have lived at least 5 months in Spain prior to 2026. Applicants also had to have no serious criminal record. With the legal status, they would have the right to live and work in Spain legally. Spain received over a million applications. But only half a million cases were to be processed. |
Spain’s Supreme Court also recently issued a ruling on migration. It stated that authorities cannot summarily deport migrants who arrive by sea without due process. The reason is that they did not cross the physical border referenced in Spanish law. This decision covers migrants intercepted while swimming into Ceuta and Melilla. This ruling does not mean migrants have the right to stay in Spain though. It just requires legal procedures to be followed before deportation. But migrants can be sent back within days. Plus, if physical barriers are installed in the water the ruling does not apply. This is what Spain did in Ceuta following the events. |
Spain’s policy on migration has been a source of tension with other EU states. It reached a peak with the recent events. |
Impact on its relations with EU members |
European leaders have renewed calls for stricter migration policies. Some states asked that Spain be temporarily kicked out of the Schengen area. But the EU did not trigger the procedure. The Schengen Area is a free travel zone in the EU. Member states have officially removed internal border controls. It allows over 450 million people to move freely. In the Schengen Borders Code, the EU can suspend a state’s participation as a last-resort measure. It can only be used in cases of persistent serious deficiencies in external border controls. The EU commission needs to propose suspension and members must approve it. |
Italy said it would temporarily impose border controls for arrivals from Spain. This move was also backed by Denmark, Finland, Portugal, and the Czech Republic. These latter said they were thinking about doing the same. France said it would reinforce checks along its frontier. Spain condemns the EU’s response to this migrant crisis. It says the EU is being selfish and that this is a shared responsibility of all member states. |
The Ceuta crisis exposes a key EU problem. Member states share open internal borders. But they do not all agree on who should enter, stay, or be returned. Spain wants freedom to apply its own policies. At the same time, it also needs EU help with Frontex. It also asks for solidarity. But other states want Spain to follow a common EU approach. Right-wing governments often demand stricter policies. They favor harder borders and faster returns. This inevitably hinders cohesion within the EU. It is one of the many subjects on which the EU members do not agree. Once again, it shows a divided EU where common decisions are hard to reach. |
Impact on relations with Morocco |
Their relation is complex. They have deep economic ties. Spain also relies heavily on Morocco for security issues and migration controls. But their relation is very sensitive on many subjects. These include: |
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In the 2021 crisis, Morocco relaxed border controls to put pressure on Spain. Their relations were tensed after Spain provided medical treatment to a leader of the Polisario Front. The Polisario Front and Morocco both lay claim to Western Sahara. |
Spain’s PM said Morocco has been an ally in the Ceuta crisis last week. He said both states cooperated. But some analysts and leaders believe Morocco was likely aware of this massive movement and relaxed border controls on its side. This event happened a week after Spain’s PM visited Algeria to strengthen relations. Algeria is Morocco’s main rival. |
Some EU leaders also pressured Morocco to take back the migrants and strengthen border controls. But EU’s division in that crisis also highlights that Morocco holds a significant leverage over Spain. Spain can easily get submerged in Ceuta and Melilla if Morocco does not cooperate. And the EU does not seem to be willing to present a united front against that matter. |
Decoding geopolitics isn’t a job. It’s survival. |
Joy |
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