On the afternoon of Sunday, August 25, images were recorded again that recall this massive influx of migrants into Ceuta in 2021. Taking advantage of the fog, dozens of people they swam to Tarajal beach, where they mingled with bathers. The Civil Guard and the National Police had to leave this public space and a few days later, the authorities of the Autonomous City launched an operation alarm message.
In reality, the situation is different from that of 2021, where more than 10,000 illegal immigrants They infiltrated Spanish territory in just 24 hours. This year, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior, updated on August 31, the number of people who entered Ceuta in an irregular situation nearly 2,000although the increase compared to last year is 161%.
This means that the Autonomous City is once again overwhelmed. The advisor to the Presidency and the Interior, Alberto Gaitándenounced just ten days ago in an interview with EL ESPAÑOL that its facilities housed some 500 unaccompanied minors, in establishments that can accommodate 88 people. That is to say that the occupancy rate was 470%.
Funding
Ceuta has asked the government to “increase the resources available to be able to care for these minors”, to speed up the “transfers otherwise to improve the situation” and “a adequate funding” to face the crisis. “The answer is always solidarity and support, even if the reality is that we still have they are not effective “the measures,” lamented councilor Alberto Gaitán.
A few days later, on September 2, coinciding with Ceuta’s holiday, its president, Juan Jesus Vivas Laralaunched an “appeal for help and relief” in the face of an “extremely serious migration crisis”.
“I hope that our institutions, beyond the acronyms, understand that Ceuta cannot and must not bear the consequences of the vulnerability of our border“everyone’s,” added Juan Jesús Vivas in his speech.
The President of Ceuta asked for “a sense of state” to resolve “the aforementioned emergency” and “articulate a structural policy “to face” the migratory phenomenon which affects its territory on a recurring basis.
Several migrants swim across the border with Ceuta
Precisely, Juan Jesús Vivas will be responsible for the institutional opening of the II Spanish Economic Forum of Ceuta, which EL ESPAÑOL is organizing between September 11 and 12 in the Autonomous City.
The forum will also feature presentations by Juan Bravo BaenaDeputy Secretary of Economy of the PP; Cristina Perez Valerodelegate of the Government of the Autonomous City of Ceuta; Kissy ChandiramaniMinister of Economy, Finance and Public Service of the Autonomous City of Ceuta; o Nicola Cecchi, Minister of Commerce, Tourism, Employment and Sports of the Autonomous City of Ceuta.
Money and Law Reform
The government of the Spanish enclave in Moroccan territory joined a few days ago the demands of the Canary Islands to receive more funding and reform the immigration law, so that the transfers to the peninsula of migrant minors who arrive in Ceuta occur in a more agile manner.
The central government and the communities governed by the PP – which also controls Ceuta and supports the Canary Islands Coalition in the Canaries – agree on the diagnosis of the problem, but the political confrontation on immigration issues prevents them from reaching an agreement.
This crisis of 2021 was corrected thanks to the agreements between Spain and Morocco, which were based on the alignment of the government of Pedro Sanchez with the posture of Mohamed VI on the Sahara. Since then, the arrivals of migrants from this country have slowed down, even if this summer they increased again.
The profile that is coming now is that of young people around 17 years oldaware that if they enter Spain as adults, their expulsion will be much easier.
Change of model
The vast majority of those who arrive in Ceuta do not do so by sea either, but rather by following the land routeOnly 19 people were registered on board four boats throughout this year, according to the Interior Ministry.
Ceuta therefore requires more resources and attention from the government in Madrid. But its real challenge is to “restructure a model based on public administration, services and trade flows to Morocco towards a more technological, greener and bluer“, as defended by the Minister of Finance, Economic Transition and Digital Transformation, Kissy Chandiramani.
In her speech to the Plenary Assembly of the Autonomous City to present this year’s budgets, the councilor defended a budgetary policy advantageous which allowed them to attract digital nomads.
For example, in the online gaming sector 52% of licenses that operate from Spain are concentrated in Ceuta. According to government figures, this has allowed the creation of “1,000 direct jobs in four years”, which is why it is hoped that this sector can “serve as a locomotive” and attract other similar professionals such as data operators to settle in the city.
The Ceuta authorities are committed “to an economic and urban model based on more Spain and more Europe“. Although to do this, Kissy Chandiramani, present at the II Spanish Economic Forum in Ceuta, demands “to insist on maintaining the elimination of the Schengen exception or the visa requirement” and on “inclusion in the Customs Union”, respecting its own tax rules and economic regime.
The forum organized by EL ESPAÑOL will focus on analyzing the reality of Ceuta and verifying the transformation of its economy. Business leaders with a broad interest in investing in the city will be present at the event, as well as political representatives who will explain the advantages of settling there.
In addition to the institutional positions mentioned above, in the business field there will be meetings Horacio MorellPresident of IBM Spain; Daniel RossellCEO of Senator Hotels & Resorts; Manuel GomezCEO of Avangreen; Alicia RichartGeneral Manager of Afiniti in Spain and Portugal; Esther Martin OrtegaDirector of Public Affairs at Flutter or Gorka Jimenez SanchezCEO of the Var Spain Group.
More than fifty speakers will participate in this business meeting, whose program can be consulted on the EL ESPAÑOL website. All conversations and round tables will be broadcast on streaming in the House from the newspaper.
State and business
According to EPA figures, Ceuta – followed by Melilla – continues to lead the unemployment figures, with an unemployment rate of 28%. However, the number of Social Security members increased last year by 6.3%with a particular incidence among women and those under 25.
Ceuta aims to escape the stigma of a city without opportunities through a modern and digital economy. In 2022, they signed with the Sánchez government a Comprehensive Plan for the Socio-Economic Development of the Autonomous City, which they want to continue implementing.
His authorities claim greater state presence and decent public services, but also a certain fiscal autonomy and infrastructure resources that allow them to be self-sufficient. More than 85,000 inhabitants spread over 20 square kilometres – the highest population density in all of Spain – also aspire to this.
