The European Commission has deployed a team of migration experts to Ceuta to directly assess the situation in the autonomous city after the massive entry recorded at the end of July and determine what additional support the European Union can provide to the Spanish authorities.
The mission coincides with preparations for the possibility of new attempts at irregular entry from Morocco, after messages have circulated on social media pointing to the night of August 14 to 15. Brussels, however, avoids linking its actions exclusively to that date and maintains that its objective is to permanently strengthen the protection of the EU's external border.
A community spokesperson explained this Thursday that the goal of the experts deployed to Ceuta is to understand firsthand the existing needs and study how European institutions can strengthen support for Spain.
Brussels avoids focusing the alert on August 15
The European Commission has not specified whether the mission is specifically related to warnings about a possible new mass arrival in the coming hours.
From Brussels, they insist that community action cannot be limited to a specific date and that the priority is to protect the external borders and ensure effective management of returns throughout the year.
The visit comes two weeks after the massive entry recorded in Ceuta on July 30 and 31. The Government has estimated around 80,000 the number of people who managed to access the city, of which about 70,000 would have returned or been sent back to Morocco subsequently.
The Interior Ministry has also reinforced the deployment in Ceuta in recent hours. Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska has announced the sending of more specialized agents in Immigration to expedite the procedures related to the people who still remain in the city.
Monitoring social media calls
One of the areas of concern is the campaigns disseminated through social media that call for attempting new crossings from Morocco to Spanish territory.
According to information known this Thursday, Moroccan authorities have also strengthened surveillance in the border areas with Ceuta and Melilla.
Spain has also adopted new preventive measures. The Civil Guard has begun to install a maritime barrier on the southern breakwater of Melilla similar to the one used at the maritime border of Ceuta to hinder irregular entries by swimming.
The European Commission is simultaneously maintaining contacts with the main digital platforms to limit the dissemination of content that may encourage new mass movements towards the border.