The European People's Party (PPE) has sharply criticized the Spanish government after a mass crossing from Morocco into Ceuta. On 30 and 31 July, more than 70,000 people crossed in roughly 48 hours, overwhelming local reception capacity. Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, cited 72,000 crossings; a European Parliament study later estimated about 80,000 arrivals. PPE leaders, including Manfred Weber, have blamed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s regularization policy for what they describe as an “alarming situation” at Spain’s frontier, arguing that the plan could act as a pull factor. Those claims are political accusations; the figures do not themselves establish that the regularization policy caused the crossings.
François-Xavier Bellamy, vice president of the PPE group in the European Parliament, echoed the criticism, linking Spain’s mass regularization announcement to increased border pressure. Michel Barnier, a former EU commissioner and Brexit negotiator, argued that member states must be able to protect their borders when national decisions increase migration pressure. Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, suggested that the Schengen Area could be closed to Spain over the Ceuta situation. He criticized Madrid’s decision to grant legal status to more than 500,000 undocumented migrants, claiming it could incentivize human trafficking. Reuters reported that Spain’s regularization policy also drew blame from right-wing and far-right parties, while describing the government’s initiative as covering nearly one million irregular migrants.
The scale of the July episode also appears differently in border statistics. Frontex said the figures for Ceuta’s land border on 30 and 31 July were still under review by the member state concerned. Its reported 18,260 irregular crossings on the relevant route between January and September 2026, up 26% year on year, so did not include a final accounting of the mass arrival. The episode also had a severe humanitarian toll: Spanish authorities reported 141 deaths, many involving people attempting to reach Ceuta by sea. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights said the movement “put the balance between protecting fundamental rights and safeguarding the EU’s external borders to the test.”
The PPE has formally requested that the Ceuta crisis be discussed at the European Parliament’s September plenary session, following its earlier opposition to Spain’s regularization policy. During that policy debate, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner clarified that a national residence permit does not confer freedom of movement across the EU, contradicting claims made by Tajani. Spain’s government has rejected the accusation that regularization triggered the border crisis. Moncloa says applicants must have resided in Spain before 1 January 2026 and lived continuously in the country for at least five months when applying; officials argue that people who crossed during the recent episode would not meet those conditions.
Spain’s response to the arrivals combined expanded accommodation with returns to Morocco. The government said it created 7,000 migrant places and that more than 12,700 people returned to Morocco between 10 August and 20 October. Most adults who remained in Ceuta were housed in facilities provided by the central government. The return figures describe different categories: a separate government-based breakdown counted 12,142 voluntary returns and 536 expulsions. Sánchez has emphasized cooperation with Morocco, saying Spain “needs Moroccan authorities to help stop large numbers of migrants from reaching” Ceuta and Melilla.
The dispute is unfolding alongside implementation of the EU’s migration and asylum structure, which provides for asylum processing in border zones to support faster decisions, including on returns. In Ceuta, that approach has raised concerns about access to asylum and the treatment of people whose claims are pending. Reuters reported that migrants seeking to travel while their applications were under review needed a permit, and that the Spanish government had been reluctant to issue permits to thousands of people in the enclave. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has warned of serious risks to Fundamental Rights at EU borders, highlighting the parallel duties to manage the external frontier and preserve asylum safeguards.
Pressure from the far right has pushed traditional European conservatives toward tougher migration positions. PPE lawmakers have also supported tighter return rules and proposals for deportation centres outside the EU. The party’s criticism of the Spanish government has a longer political history: tensions between Manfred Weber and Pedro Sánchez surfaced during the 2023 debate over Spain’s EU Council presidency. The July crisis has intensified that clash as EU institutions and national governments debate how to respond to sudden arrivals while respecting common asylum rules.
Ceuta has repeatedly been at the centre of migration debates. Local police have previously warned of operational strain as arrivals surged, as described in coverage of police concerns during earlier border incidents. The current political dispute in Brussels highlights how migration policy remains a flashpoint in Spain and across the EU. Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, is a frequent crossing point for people seeking to reach Europe. The confrontation between the PPE and the Spanish government reflects the challenge of balancing national policy with humanitarian obligations while managing the border.
