Feijóo to return to Ceuta with European People's Party leaders, urging EU involvement in crisis
Alberto Núñez Feijóo will travel to Ceuta on Monday accompanied by PPE officials, calling for European attention to the city’s security crisis and denouncing the Spanish government’s handling of it.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo is set to make his fourth trip to Ceuta on Monday, this time joined by senior figures from the Partido Popular Europeo. The party’s national spokesperson, Borja Sémper, said the aim is to have Europe look at Ceuta, grasp the scale of the situation and formally condemn the assault that occurred there. He highlighted an upcoming debate in the European Parliament on the crisis and pledged that the PPE will push for a condemnation.
Feijóo will also meet on Thursday with European Interior and Migration Commissioner Manfred Weber to address on-the-ground conditions, border security and Spain’s response. Sémper accused the socialist government of an “irresponsible and negligent” ethic, claiming it lacks foresight and shifts blame, and lamented the lack of ministerial resignations since the incident, while noting that President Pedro Sánchez remains in office.
Why it matters
EU scrutiny could pressure Spain to change its border policy and affect domestic political dynamics.
How this story developed
- Aug 21 Spanish police detain five suspected migrant smugglers operating from Ceuta
- Sep 8 The Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed that its communications unit created a confidential dossier ranking dozens of journalists by political orientation and stance toward Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government.
- Sep 8 Alberto Núñez Feijóo says the government will release a trimmed version of the pre-invasion reports on Ceuta, omitting key details.
- Sep 8 The Council of Ministers scheduled a vote on declassification Tuesday, with the documents to be released to the public on Wednesday.
- Sep 9 Ceuta mayor‑president Juan Jesús Vivas publicly urged the EU to boost funding and security for the enclave’s border.
- Sep 9 The EU approved a financial package for Ceuta border controls and pledged additional Frontex support.
- Sep 9 The interior ministry publicly acknowledged creating the dossier.
- Sep 10 Government criticized for declassifying security alerts and for claiming the warning was only a low‑level WhatsApp message.
- Sep 10 Judge María Tardón filed a request for copies of the declassified intelligence reports.
- Sep 10 Regional economy minister asserted that the national government possessed advance intelligence on the Ceuta crossing and did not implement preventive measures.
- Sep 11 Czech and Hungarian leaders condemned the EU’s emergency aid for Ceuta.
- Sep 12 A police‑commissioned report described Moroccan border police as unusually sparse and granting migrants “total permission.”
- Sep 13 Minister Sira Rego urged autonomous communities to assume responsibility for Ceuta’s unaccompanied minors.
- Sep 13 The foreign minister announced an urgent trip to Brussels for talks with EU officials.
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