EU grants Spain $133M emergency aid over Ceuta border crossings

The European Commission on Wednesday announced €114.7 million ($133 million) in emergency assistance to Spain to help manage the situation in Ceuta following large-scale irregular border crossings on July 30–31.

The assistance will finance measures to strengthen border surveillance and protection, including thermal cameras, observation technology, floating buoy systems and underwater drones, as well as additional personnel and equipment, the commission said in a statement.

It will also support facilities for migrant screening, the return of people who remain illegally in Ceuta and reception capacity, including facilities for unaccompanied minors.

The European Commission said it coordinated additional operational assistance from the EU's border agency Frontex, law enforcement agency Europol and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).

Frontex is ready to extend its existing operational plans in Spain into 2027, ensuring the continued deployment of Frontex Standing Corps officers in Ceuta.

Additional Frontex assistance could include maritime assets, increased information exchange through Eurosur, support for returns and cooperation with Morocco, according to the bloc.

A joint core group comprising representatives of the EU Commission, EU agencies and relevant Spanish authorities will meet regularly to coordinate the emergency assistance and operational support.

The group's first meeting is scheduled to take place this week, alongside a second technical visit to Ceuta.

The bloc said the priority remains the swift return of people who remain illegally in Ceuta.

The mass crossings resulted in tens of thousands of people entering Ceuta from Morocco from July 30 to 31, according to Spanish government estimates.

Spanish authorities estimated that several thousand migrants remained in Ceuta after the initial crossings, although Vivas acknowledged that authorities still lacked a precise figure for the number who entered and those who remained.