The European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the mass irregular crossings into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta and calling for stronger EU support, closer cooperation with Morocco, and the swift return of migrants with no legal right to remain in the bloc.
Lawmakers expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of 141 people at sea during the crossings of July 30 and 31, 2026. While mourning what they called preventable loss of life, the Parliament characterized the instrumentalization of irregular migration as a tool of hybrid warfare aimed at undermining the territorial integrity of an EU member state. Strengthening protection of the EU’s external border in Ceuta, lawmakers said, is now a top priority.
The resolution passed by a vote of 339 to 225, with 16 abstentions. It expressed full support for and solidarity with the people of Ceuta and Melilla, describing the two cities as Spanish and European territories “whose sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond question.” Lawmakers praised the responsibility and resilience shown by Ceuta’s citizens and local authorities throughout what they described as an unprecedented crisis.
MEPs denounce the instrumentalisation of irregular migrants as a hybrid warfare tool
The Parliament commended Spain’s National Police, the Civil Guard, the armed forces, the Spanish Red Cross, Caritas, and various non-governmental and civil society organizations for their roles in responding to the crisis. It condemned acts of violence recorded in Ceuta since late July and called for reinforced police and security presence in the city, warning that public order and security remain at risk. Lawmakers urged the Spanish government to make full and effective use of emergency EU funding and operational support from EU agencies, and to cooperate fully with the national judicial investigation into the July events.
The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ceuta and Melilla must be upheld
MEPs said Spain’s large-scale regularization policy for migrants functions as a pull factor and sends the wrong signal to prospective migrants and smuggling networks. They called on the European Commission to assess the policy’s potential cross-border effects on secondary movements and the broader functioning of the Schengen Area.
Spain’s large-scale regularisation a pull factor and wrong signal
Protecting the EU’s external borders, the Parliament said, is a shared responsibility among member states, and any failure to act decisively threatens the integrity of the Schengen Area as a whole. All member states, the resolution states, must fully assume their responsibilities in preventing and combating migrant smuggling. It called on the Commission and member states to increase funding—including for border protection infrastructure—strengthen Frontex’s operational capacity, and ensure crisis-response tools can be deployed swiftly.
Spain should apply the Migration and Asylum Pact in full and cooperate with Morocco on readmissions
Lawmakers also noted that the EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum has applied since June 12, 2026, stressing that Spain bears responsibility for fully implementing this legal and operational framework. They called for the swift return of all individuals without the right to remain in the EU, including unaccompanied minors, in full compliance with EU and international law. Spain and Morocco, the resolution adds, should accelerate cooperation on returns and readmissions for irregular migrants who arrived during the late-July crossings.
The Parliament emphasized that EU relations with neighboring non-EU countries must be grounded in reciprocity, stating that preferential market access and financing should be contingent on effective cooperation—including on border management, migrant smuggling, and readmissions.
The resolution calls on Moroccan authorities to fulfill their commitments on border management, returns, and migration cooperation. MEPs demanded unconditional respect for the territorial integrity of EU member states as a fundamental principle of international law, declaring that any statement questioning Spanish sovereignty is unacceptable and incompatible with the obligations of a partner country.
