The Government of Spain is allocating 45 million euros to ensure Ceuta's financial stability

The Council of Ministers has agreed, by means of a Royal Decree-law, on extraordinary and urgent measures to provide financial support to the city of Ceuta. The Minister for Finance, Arcadi España, emphasised that the legislation is the result of dialogue with the Government of the autonomous city to ensure Ceuta's financial stability in the face of the extraordinary spending incurred as a result of the migration crisis that began on 30 July.

Ceuta's financial sustainability guaranteed

The decree-law includes a direct grant of over 45 million euros for the city of Ceuta: 40.6 million to fund current spending and 4.6 million for capital spending. These funds will cover essential services provided by the city in the areas of the environment, social services, public health, education, security, civil protection, food supplies, markets and fish markets, among others. All of these, as the Minister for Finance pointed out, are enshrined in the Statute of Autonomy of the autonomous city and the Framework Law on Local Government.

Secondly, the regulation states that, given the exceptional nature of Ceuta's financial situation, the extraordinary spending incurred by the city will be recorded separately from ordinary spending "so that it can be identified", as Arcadi España pointed out.

Furthermore, the decree exempts Ceuta from the obligation to draw up an economic and financial plan in 2026 or 2027 if, as a result of these extraordinary expenses, it fails to meet the budgetary stability targets or the spending rule (the legal limit on the growth of public spending). "With these measures agreed, financial stability is guaranteed for the coming months and all spending can be met without any difficulty", the minister stated.

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Furthermore, Arcadi España stated that more than 1,900 applications have already been submitted for the grants for businesses and the self-employed in Ceuta, which were approved on 1 September. Of these, 1,383 are from natural persons - the vast majority of whom are self-employed - and 526 are from legal persons (SMEs). More than half of the applications have already been processed and approved, and the Tax Agency is currently generating revenue from the relevant grants, which total around 9 million euros.

"We therefore guarantee the city's autonomy and financial self-sufficiency so that it can meet extraordinary spending through three measures: the first is dialogue; the second, coordination; and the third, support for the economic and institutional fabric", said España.

Recovery of the Ceuta coastline

The Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and Government Spokesperson, Elma Saiz, reported on the latest developments in the handling of the situation in Ceuta, where she highlighted a "turning point" following the clearances of Trampolín and El Guano beaches, "thanks to the coordinated efforts of the State law enforcement forces and agencies, the army and all the organisations involved".

The minister emphasised that the Government had achieved its objective of reclaiming the coastal strip during the first fortnight of October and explained that most of the people who had remained in these areas had returned to Morocco or had been transferred to the temporary humanitarian reception centres set up by the Government.

With regard to the care of adults, the spokesperson noted that, according to data collected up to 12 October, 4,432 people have completed the triage process and 11,686 have returned to Morocco, of whom 10,161 were voluntary returns and 525 were deportations. She also stated that the government has made 7,477 places available in temporary accommodation facilities.

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With regard to minors, the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration reported that 3,019 are currently being cared for within the regional protection system. In addition, 89 have been relocated to mainland Spain through family reunification procedures and a further 173 have been transferred to various autonomous communities in accordance with Article 35 of the Immigration Act. Thirty-five cases have also been referred to Morocco.

The spokesperson welcomed the "consolidation" of normality in school attendance. On the health front, 4,540 people have been vaccinated and 98 hospital beds are currently occupied out of the 210 available in the autonomous city; only 22 of those occupying the beds are migrants.

Second Youth Action Plan: commitments and demands

The Council of Ministers has approved the Second Youth Action Plan, which forms part of the Youth Strategy 2022-2030.

The Plan, which runs until 2028, sets out the priorities, actions and investment commitments of the various ministries in relation to young people. "It is a tool for coordinating public policy on all matters relating to young people in our country", summarised the Minister for Youth and Children, Sira Rego. The Plan is structured around 12 strategic pillars and sets out more than 300 measures in areas such as education, employment, health, equality and participation. In an innovative move, the document presents, for each of the pillars, an assessment of the current situation, a series of objectives, the planned measures, their funding, and the mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating each commitment.

Rego emphasised that, for the first time, the plan has been drawn up through a participatory process that began in 2024 and in which more than 70 youth organisations from across the country have been involved. Contributions and proposals were discussed in working groups involving 15 ministries. "The result of this extraordinary level of participation is reflected in this plan, which broadens the scope of public policies on youth", said the minister. Compared with the previous plan, this one incorporates 10 new objectives, 110 additional measures and a total investment of nearly 60 billion euros - 79 per cent more than has been invested to date.

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The budget increase is focused on education and training, employment, health, policies to combat the risk of exclusion or discrimination, and young people in rural areas. According to Rego, this funding will result in very specific initiatives: grants, study grants, youth employment programmes, the Youth Culture Voucher, mobility schemes such as 'Verano Joven' and policies to promote independence, amongst many others.

Another key new feature of the plan is that it incorporates demands from youth organisations for which no specific responses have yet been agreed, with 2030 as the target date. In the area of independence, for example, the plan includes calls such as allocating 30 per cent of new residential building capacity to affordable social housing for rent, bringing vacant properties back into use and introducing tax measures to combat property speculation.

Sira Rego has called for "the doors of the institutions to be kept wide open so that the demands, aspirations and wishes of the public can find their way into the institutions and reach the Council of Ministers' table".

Strengthening free legal aid

Government Spokesperson Elma Saiz has announced the approval of a royal decree amending the Regulations on Free Legal Aid, with the aim of strengthening citizens' right to effective judicial protection and improving the provision of this service.

Saiz explained that the new regulations recognise the right to immediate legal assistance for victims of terrorism and human trafficking, for people with disabilities in need of special protection, and for women and minors who are victims of sexual violence, regardless of their financial means to pursue legal action.

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Furthermore, the spokesperson also explained that the regulations improve the financial compensation of lawyers and legal representatives who simultaneously act as both prosecutor and defense attorney, who will receive an additional 50 percent of the applicable fee for the proceedings. It also promotes the out-of-court settlement of disputes, with the aim of moving from a 'culture of litigation' to a 'culture of settlement' and preventing matters that can be resolved through other means from reaching the courts.

Current affairs: the King and Queen's visit to Ceuta and Melilla

The Government Spokesperson has described the King and Queen's visit to the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla on 13 and 14 October as "historic". Elma Saiz stated that the King and Queen will be accompanied by the Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, during their visit to Ceuta, and that she herself will accompany them in Melilla.

Non official translation