Sánchez defends Morocco ties and touts Spain as migration policy leader
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain will not deploy troops after Moroccan warships entered Spanish waters, arguing the two navies communicate fully and Spain’s migration model is effective.
After the European Council session, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the press, insisting that Spain will not mobilise its armed forces in response to Moroccan warships entering Spanish waters, contrary to opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s demand. He emphasized that communication between the two navies is "fluid and total" and reaffirmed his administration’s friendly stance toward Mohamed VI’s regime. Sánchez defended Spain’s migration strategy, pointing to a 72% reduction in irregular Atlantic arrivals from 2023 to 2026 and recent biometric border checks as evidence of success.
The comments provoked rebukes from Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, who accused the government of creating a pull factor for migrants. Sánchez also warned that his policies are unpopular with the far right but called for a progressive government in Europe. Finally, he expressed hopes for a swift agreement with Italy on a special Schengen arrangement between the two countries.
Why it matters
The stance shapes Spain-Morocco relations and influences EU migration policy debates.
How this story developed
- Aug 21 Spanish police detain five suspected migrant smugglers operating from Ceuta
- Oct 11 Ireland released its draft budget proposal on Saturday.
- Oct 12 Moroccan naval vessels entered Spanish territorial waters around Ceuta while large numbers of migrants crossed the land border, prompting a Spanish naval response.
- Oct 13 The royals have begun an overnight stay in Ceuta as part of their extended visit.
- Oct 13 Santa María was replaced by the frigate Navarra after a mechanical failure.
- Oct 13 EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Pedro Sánchez's government to swiftly send irregular migrants who entered Ceuta back to Morocco, and pledged EU support for the removals.
- Oct 13 Police and the army cleared the Guano informal migrant settlement in Ceuta’s northern bay days before the royal visit.
- Oct 13 Four European Parliament groups issued a joint declaration rejecting the Irish presidency’s revised budget proposal.
- Oct 14 The royal couple travelled from Ceuta to Melilla, where they were presented with the city’s golden key and toured a bilingual school with an autism classroom.
- Oct 15 Feijóo filed a popular accusation with the Audiencia Nacional over the Moroccan ships' entry.
- Oct 15 In his Melilla speech the king emphasized the city’s status as part of the EU’s external border.
- Oct 15 Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson publicly rejected the Irish‑crafted budget proposal on the eve of the summit.
- Oct 16 A new draft to replace the Irish proposal was announced ahead of the 26 November summit.
- Oct 16 Sánchez arrived in Brussels for the European Council where Merz and Mitsotakis plan to confront him.
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