Ceuta President calls on the EU for a strong response against Morocco

09/09/2026 - 11:57 GMT+2

Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, has accused Morocco of a “policy of harassment” towards the city and urged the EU to take a tougher stance and fund border security after some 80,000 migrants entered the exclave on 30 July, distancing himself from Spain’s cooperative approach to Rabat.

Vivas met three EU commissioners and several lawmakers in Brussels on Tuesday, urging help to return irregular migrants and restore normality in the exclave, where thousands of third-country nationals, including unaccompanied minors, remain. "Ceuta is on the brink of collapse," he said.

The Ceuta leader broke with the national government, accusing Pedro Sánchez’s administration of failing to respond adequately before, during and after the July incident, which left more than 150 people dead at sea.

“The EU should tell Morocco that any fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation begins by respecting our borders,” he said at a press conference at the European Parliament, where center-right EPP lawmakers and staff greeted him with applause.