European Pinch on Migrant Transfers Undermines Sánchez's Ceuta Strategy (Luis Casal in Vozpópuli)

The European Union has halted the Spanish government's plan to ease pressure in Ceuta by transferring migrants to the Peninsula. Brussels views these "secondary movements" as destabilizing the Schengen area and insists Spain must manage the crisis within the autonomous city.

## Ceuta, a Forced Waiting Room

The Spanish government's strategy for managing the migration crisis in **Ceuta**, which involved transferring some migrants to the Peninsula to alleviate pressure on the autonomous city, has hit a wall. The European Union, through its new Pact on Migration and Asylum, is obstructing what it calls "secondary movements," meaning the movement of asylum seekers from one country to another within the Schengen area after they have already entered. The reason is clear: Europe wants to contain the crisis at its external borders and prevent it from spreading across the continent. The Minister of the Interior, **Fernando Grande-Marlaska**, has assured the European Commission that Spain will prevent these transfers, a commitment that places the autonomous city in a situation of a forced "waiting room."

The particularity of Ceuta within the Schengen area, which maintains its own border controls, meant that until now, files could be managed from its own external frontier. However, once migrants are transferred to the Peninsula, they effectively enter the European free circulation zone—something Brussels wants to prevent at all costs. The new EU border procedure allows applicants to remain at the frontier for **12 weeks** while their status is resolved. In case of denial, the return procedure also allows for residency in border or nearby zones, though the possibility of using other parts of national territory is considered if capacity is insufficient. This forces **Spain** to find solutions within the scarce **19 square kilometers** of Ceuta to identify, process applications, and expedite returns.

## European Pressure and Spanish Response

The Spanish government finds itself in a delicate position. On one hand, it must comply with the European Union's demands to contain the crisis in Ceuta and prevent its spread. On the other, it must seek internal solutions to house and process the situation of thousands of people. Minister Grande-Marlaska met with the European Commissioner for Interior and Migration, **Magnus Brunner**, to convey Spain's commitment not to allow "secondary movements." The European Commission has approved emergency aid of **114.7 million euros**, and Frontex and Europol are collaborating on the ground, but the European condition is firm: Spain must resolve who stays and who returns before any territorial sharing is considered.

Meanwhile, the Executive branch is working to expand available capacity in Ceuta. The National Court has given the green light for a camp at the port with a capacity of about **1,700 people**. However, the official figure of migrants still residing in the city and needing accommodation or identification remains high. The possibility of sharing this pressure, as has occurred in previous migration crises, is now much more limited. Minors, whose legal status differs, are outside this scheme, and their care, including possible relocation to the Peninsula, falls under the competent administrations.

## The PP's Political Offensive

To the institutional pressure from the European Commission is added the political offensive of the Popular Party (PP). The PP leader, **Alberto Núñez Feijóo**, has met with Commissioner Brunner in Brussels and has turned the management of the Ceuta crisis into a central axis of his European agenda. The European Parliament recently approved a resolution calling for reinforced borders, accelerated returns, and increased pressure on **Segarro**. The text received the support of **339 votes** versus **225**. This scenario leaves the government of **Pedro Sánchez** caught between the need to comply with European directives and the pressure from the opposition, which demands decisive solutions for a crisis that began with tens of thousands entering in just two days.