STRASBOURG, France – Brussels has demanded an urgent solution from Pedro Sánchez’s government over the crisis in Ceuta, with Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner putting words to the request and also appealing to Morocco’s responsibility in readmitting the people who crossed the border at the end of July. He expressed this during a debate on the matter in the plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Spain Reinforces Its North African Garrisons Amid Moroccan Claims
A solution must be found urgently, Brunner stated, adding that the priority is clear: all those who entered illegally and have no right to remain there must be quickly returned to Morocco. The Austrian official called on the Spanish executive to fully apply the European migration pact, even as Sánchez now assumes the crisis will not be resolved until the end of the year, as he has said in recent interviews. Brunner, who will meet in Madrid this week with ministers Torres, Saiz and Grande-Marlaska, stated that the crisis has been and remains a stress test for the EU and also appealed for collaboration with Rabat, noting that regarding Morocco, the EU is committed to working jointly on the return of those who remain in Ceuta, and that more efforts must be made to curb illegal departures, combat migrant trafficking and guarantee effective returns and readmission.
Bruselas reclama a Sánchez una "solución urgente" a la crisis en Ceuta: "Todos los migrantes tienen que volver rápidamente" https://t.co/EwAaUmVQRm
— José Luis Arceo Vacas (@jlarceo) September 15, 2026
Brunner accepted that collaboration and considered the integrity of the Schengen free-circulation area to have been preserved, but at the same time the Commission considers that much work remains, especially regarding the presence of Frontex agents at the border, a reinforcement that was one of the demands of Ceuta president Juan Jesús Vivas during his visit to Brussels just over a week ago.
In the debate, the secretary general of the European People’s Party and head of the PP delegation, Dolors Montserrat, called for setting aside demagoguery and excuses and described what happened as a textbook hybrid war. She also focused on the government, stating that Pedro Sánchez knew and went on holiday for 25 days, accusing the head of the executive of ignoring the demands of the Ceuta government and adding that Ceuta residents are paying for Sánchez’s failure. The leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Iratxe García, used the same words but oriented differently, reiterating that Ceuta is Spain but attacking the right for mishandling the crisis from the first moment. She said Ceuta is Europe and that when a border is under pressure, Europe must respond with solidarity, not division, which is why it is so difficult to listen to lessons from some, lessons from those who suspend Schengen with Spain, placing the weight directly on Giorgia Meloni’s Italian government.
Interior Reinforces Surveillance In Ceuta Amid Alerts Of A New Border Assault
From Vox, its leader in the European Parliament, Jorge Buxadé, delivered the harshest speech against both the Sánchez government and Morocco, saying that after seven years people still believe Sánchez’s lies, that neither did 80,000 enter nor have they all returned, and that on the contrary there are 15,000 invaders still wandering and producing insecurity, fear and terror in the streets of Ceuta. The concept of invasion, shared with the PP, served Buxadé to attack Rabat, stating that true European solidarity is to condemn the territorial invasion of the city of Ceuta and the illegitimate claims of Morocco.
