Ursula von der Leyen wanted to address "directly the Spanish people" in her State of the European Union speech. The President of the European Commission has dedicated a part of her intervention, undoubtedly one of the most important of the year and officially marking the beginning of the new political term, to the crisis in Ceuta. And she wanted to make it clear that the autonomous city is part of Spain and, therefore, of the EU.
"All our external borders are European borders. The border of Ceuta is a European border. Because Ceuta is Spain. Ceuta is Europe. And Europe will stand by your side," Von der Leyen stated.
This defence and connection between Ceuta and Europe is something that both the President of the autonomous city, Juan Jesús Vivas, and the leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, have demanded on numerous occasions. And the President of the Commission has introduced in her speech a clear, specific, and moderately extensive allusion to the issue because in the face of this crisis, Von der Leyen has presented a new action: "A European Emergency Response Framework" that will provide more flexibility and leniency to countries in aspects such as returns.
"The point is that the only solution is a European solution. And that solution is the Migration and Asylum Pact. After years of work, we finally have a common European framework. A framework that assigns responsibilities to all and demands solidarity from all. And now it must be fully implemented," continued the German high official.
"But the events of this summer," she added, "demonstrate that our tools must evolve, especially to deal with emergency situations. Europe needs to have the necessary means to protect its borders at all times. Especially in scenarios where massive movements of people are deliberately provoked and used as a weapon."
And this is where this "new European Emergency Response Framework" fits in, which, as explained, "will only be activated when a set of strictly defined criteria is met," and which "will allow temporary and strictly delimited flexibility regarding the usual procedures." More leniency in processes and in the application of measures. More leeway.
"Europe's message is clear: we will always respect our values and our fundamental rights. But we will never make concessions when it comes to protecting our borders. We, Europeans, decide who enters our Union and under what circumstances. Not the traffickers or smugglers," she emphasized.
There is no direct reference to Morocco as responsible for the action, something that was not expected either. Von der Leyen does emphasize that the crisis in Ceuta, as well as that on the "coasts of Crete," have in common that "vulnerable people are being exploited." "By unscrupulous traffickers and smugglers. By our adversaries. That is why we have proposed a sanctions regime to hit the criminals where it hurts the most," she adds.
The crisis in Ceuta, in any case, continues to attract a good deal of attention from European institutions. Yesterday, the Parliament debated the resolution on the crisis that will be voted on tomorrow, with the Socialists threatening to block it and the European People's Party forced to seek alternative partners to try to approve a statement. And also this Tuesday it was reported that the Moroccan government is trying to influence this vote. The representation of Morocco to the EU and NATO sent an email on Monday to a group of MEPs pointing out that "in light of the regrettable events of July 30, 2026, the Moroccan authorities are working to determine the causes and the actors behind this situation." As if it were entirely unrelated to their responsibility.
"Morocco has committed to readmit all affected persons, including Moroccan citizens, unaccompanied minors, and third-country nationals," and the "Spanish government has publicly stated that the information available does not allow blaming Morocco for these events," continued the email revealed by the MEP from the PNV, Oihane Agirregoitia, and accessed by this newspaper. It ended by asking, "what interest would Morocco have in provoking a serious crisis with Spain and the European Union?".