The Council of Ministers has given the green light this Tuesday to a royal decree law that includes a direct subsidy of 45.3 million euros for the autonomous city of Ceuta, along with other financial stability measures, in order to address the extraordinary expenses arising from the migration crisis that began on July 30.
The Minister of Finance, Arcadi España, specified at the press conference following the Council of Ministers that the amount of 45.3 million euros responds to a specific agreement, the result of discussions between his Department and the Ceuta Executive, in order to ensure stability and financial sufficiency in this "complex moment."
The direct subsidy, totaling 45.32 million euros, is structured in two blocks: 40.6 million euros intended to cover current expenses and 4.6 million euros for investments and other capital expenses. "They are to finance essential services provided by the city in the areas of environment, social services, public health, education, security, civil protection, supplies, markets, or fish markets," the Minister of Finance pointed out.
The royal decree law also incorporates a specific treatment for the extraordinary expenses incurred by the autonomous city as a result of the crisis, through a separate accounting of ordinary expenses with the aim of keeping them clearly identified.
Furthermore, the regulation exempts Ceuta from the obligation to prepare an economic financial plan in 2026 or 2027 if, as a consequence of these exceptional disbursements, it incurs any non-compliance with the budgetary stability objectives or the spending rule.
"Therefore, with these agreed measures, financial stability is guaranteed in these months and they will be able to face without any difficulty all the expenses they have incurred and are incurring at this moment," the Minister of Finance stated.
Processing of direct aid and reinforcement for the desalination plant
The minister also reported that, as of this morning, 1,909 applications for the direct aid approved by the Executive a few weeks ago have been registered, of which 1,383 correspond to individuals, mostly self-employed, and 526 to legal entities, mainly SMEs.
Of the set of requests, 1,020 have already been agreed upon and the Tax Agency has initiated the payment, for a total amount of 9 million euros. "Approximately 50% of the requests are already processed, authorized, and being deposited into current accounts these days," the minister emphasized.
In addition, he highlighted that, at the request of the city government, the contribution that Ceuta receives from the Ministry of Finance to cover the operation of the desalination plant has been increased by 2 million euros, as also approved by a recent Council of Ministers.