The Government reinforces its support for Ceuta with an additional 45.3 million euros to face the expenses of the migratory crisis, while the president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, criticizes Pedro Sánchez for his absence during the Kings' visit and for the entry of Moroccan ships into Spanish waters in July. Felipe VI and Queen Letizia continue their trip today, Wednesday, October 14, in Melilla, after a day in Ceuta marked by support for its residents and the monarch's call for institutional unity.
The discussion about the presence of the President of the Government adds to the demands for explanations regarding the naval incident, reported by 'El País' and confirmed by Sánchez on Monday. The Executive maintains that the situation was resolved through dialogue with Morocco, while the PP denounces that what happened was not reported during the President's appearance in Congress on September 3, dedicated to the Ceuta crisis.
The trip coincides with a new economic contribution agreed with the Government of the autonomous city and with advances in the recovery of the coastline and humanitarian aid. The Executive's spokesperson, Elma Saiz, defends the coordinated work between administrations, although the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, maintains his warning about the difficulties that residents continue to endure. The city still needs resources to care for the people it hosts and to sustain its services.
Feijóo's reproach to Sánchez for not going to Ceuta
"I would have accompanied the Kings on this historic visit," Feijóo wrote this Tuesday on X. The popular leader has turned Sánchez's absence into a new argument for confrontation, despite it being announced since the trip was confirmed on October 1. The Government's representation in Ceuta has fallen to the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, responsible for coordinating the response to the crisis as the sole command.
The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, explained last week on 'Hoy por Hoy', on Cadena SER, that ministerial accompaniment is the usual formula for these visits. "The normal thing is for a minister of the day to accompany him," he pointed out, before identifying Torres. He also recalled Sánchez's previous trips to Ceuta. For the Executive, institutional presence is guaranteed with this representation and with coordination between the Government and the Royal Household.
Feijóo has also demanded the deployment of the Army at the border and has accused Sánchez of "lying" for not explaining the naval incursion in Parliament. He did so in an interview on 'esRadio', in which he also asked to send the reports on the crisis to the Audiencia Nacional. The Deputy Secretary of Institutional Regeneration of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, joined the criticism and linked her request for accountability to the general elections on November 29.
Saiz described the entry of the ships as a "specific event" and maintained that it was resolved within good neighborly relations, with "fluid and constant" communication. The Navy reinforced the area with naval units during those days. The Executive defends cooperation with Rabat to resolve the tension, although these explanations keep open the discussion about why the episode was not publicly communicated until this week.
More resources for Ceuta
The Council of Ministers approved yesterday a direct subsidy of 45.3 million euros to cover extraordinary expenses of municipal services. The Minister of Finance, Arcadi España, explained that the amount has been agreed with the Ceuta administration. The funds will finance actions in social services, public health, education, security, civil protection and environment, among other areas that have borne the impact of the emergency.
The norm contemplates a separate record of exceptional expenses and exempts Ceuta from presenting an economic-financial plan in 2026 or 2027 in the foreseen cases of non-compliance with fiscal rules linked to this situation. The support expands the measures of the shock plan announced on September 1, with which the Government committed to mobilize 309 million during the last four months of 2026.
Aid to companies and self-employed individuals also progresses. The Treasury accounts for 1,909 applications, of which 1,020 have already been granted approval, with payments in progress totaling 9.1 million euros. Applications can be submitted until November 30. The objective is to alleviate the blow to local businesses while activity recovers, in addition to protecting the city's capacity to maintain its services.
In the balance presented on Tuesday, Moncloa highlights the recovery of the Trampolín and El Guano beaches and 7,477 temporary reception places enabled by the State. The report includes 11,686 returns to Morocco and 3,019 minors attended by the autonomous protection system. Vivas described to the Kings a city under strong pressure; Saiz, on TVE's 'Malas Lenguas', defended the advances in public spaces and investments to recover economic activity.
The journey continues in Melilla
Felipe VI asked in Ceuta for institutional unity and practical solutions from the authorities and political forces, urging them to act "without fissures". The King asserted Spanish sovereignty over the two autonomous cities and recalled that their borders are also borders of the European Union. His intervention included recognition for public servants and volunteers who have attended to the emergency.
The monarch defended that those who entered irregularly should return to their countries "through legally established channels" and that, while they remain in Spain, they should receive treatment with "dignity and humanity" and all legal guarantees. He also demanded respect for the rights and freedoms of the people of Ceuta. Before the speech, the Kings visited the Vicente Aleixandre school and the Sidi Embarek Muslim cemetery, where they paid tribute to those who died during the July entries.
Felipe VI's first visit to these cities as head of state comes 19 years after the trip of Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía in 2007. Saiz has placed it within the normality of a displacement to two Spanish cities and has reiterated the commitment to support Ceuta. In Melilla, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration will accompany the monarchs today.
The agenda for this Wednesday will begin at the Assembly Palace of Melilla, where Felipe VI and Letizia will be received by the authorities and will meet with members of the local government. In the afternoon, a visit to the Pintor Eduardo Morillas public school is planned, and the trip will conclude with a meeting with representatives of Melilla society.
