Spain’s Opposition Leader Pledges Tougher Morocco Policy, €650 Million for Ceuta

Rabat – Spain’s opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has pledged to strengthen Ceuta’s border defenses, review Spain’s policy toward Morocco, and invest €650 million ($758 million) in the Spanish-occupied enclave if his Popular Party comes to power.

Speaking in Ceuta on Wednesday alongside the city’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, Feijóo presented a seven-point plan focused on border security, migration, and economic development.

Feijóo accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government of maintaining “secret diplomacy” with Rabat and relying too heavily on Morocco to manage Spain’s southern border.

“Spain does not seek enemies, does not seek conflicts, does not threaten anyone. But Spain will not accept threats or blackmail,” Feijóo said.

He said Spain should maintain good relations with Morocco but insisted that its territorial integrity must not be questioned in Ceuta, Melilla, or Spanish waters.

“The Spanish nature of Ceuta and Melilla is not negotiable,” he said.

Stronger border

Feijóo proposed increasing personnel and surveillance technology at the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, as well as introducing permanent maritime and coastal monitoring systems.

He also called for a continuous Frontex presence and criticized the floating barrier currently used in Ceuta. “A buoy is not a border,” Feijóo said, arguing that the border must be “inviolable.”

His plan would extend the border infrastructure farther into the sea, starting from the Tarajal breakwater, where migrants entered Ceuta on July 30.

The proposal revives a 2014 plan presented by then-Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz to extend the maritime border by 45 meters into the sea.

Migration and minors

Feijóo also opposed the planned transfer of around 500 migrant girls from Ceuta to mainland Spain.

He said migrants who entered the enclave on July 30 and 31 should return to their countries or to the authorities responsible for their care. He questioned the government’s decision to transfer the minors and called for greater attention to Ceuta’s residents.

“What about the girls who were born in Ceuta, live in Ceuta, and are Spanish citizens? Who protects them?” he asked.

Feijóo also called for changes to immigration and asylum laws, including allowing border rejections for people arriving by sea.

The political response to the recent migration crisis in Ceuta has highlighted the growing role of migration and Morocco in Spain’s right-wing discourse. Calls for tougher border controls and criticism of Rabat have provided political parties on the right with an opportunity to present themselves as defenders of Spain’s territorial integrity and security, while appealing to voters concerned about irregular migration. 

The rhetoric has also increased pressure on the Spanish government, which has continued to thank Morocco for its efforts in managing the migration crisis, to take a harder line toward Rabat.