Europe puts the focus on Ceuta: Spain has not yet requested financial aid but maintains "informal contacts"

Europe has its focus on Spanish territory, specifically in Ceuta where since July 30 and 31 the area has been going through a crisis due to the entry of 80,000 people irregularly across the border with Morocco. In this context, the European Commission stated this Tuesday that it has not yet received a request from the Government of Pedro Sánchez to receive urgent financial aid.

However, according to Markus Lammert, spokesperson for the Commission for Internal Affairs, at a press conference in Brussels, Spain maintains "formal contacts" with Europe. "We are working with the Spanish authorities on this. There are ongoing informal contacts on how it could be raised, but Spain has to submit an official request (...) we are indeed waiting for the request from the Spanish authorities," he explained.

Likewise, he recalled the offer made to Spain to make available the resources of the European agencies Frontex, Europol and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).

The investigation mission

The European Commission will transfer to the rest of the Member States the information obtained during the technical mission that its services carried out last week in Ceuta, as announced this Tuesday by the community spokesperson. Brussels will share both the data collected on the ground and the conclusions reached after analyzing the situation of the autonomous city.

During their stay in Ceuta, the representatives of the Commission held meetings with members of the central Government, local administration officials and other involved agents to learn first-hand about the needs currently facing the city. The community delegation also confirmed that "several thousand" people in an irregular situation still remain in the territory, including a significant number of unaccompanied minors.

The spokesperson also pointed out that the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Magnus Brunner, maintains permanent communication with the authorities of the different countries of the Union to inform them about the evolution of the situation in Ceuta. Among them is Italy, which maintains controls on travelers from Spain until "risks decrease" in the autonomous city.

In parallel, Brussels has focused on combating the activity of criminal networks related to human trafficking and the dissemination of false information. As part of these actions, the Commission has proceeded to close "several accounts linked to human trafficking".