European Parliament backs stronger EU border controls, calls for cooperation with Morocco over Ceuta crossings

The European Parliament has called for stronger protection of the European Union’s external borders and closer cooperation with Morocco following the mass irregular crossings into Ceuta in late July, while reaffirming the importance of returns and readmission agreements.

The resolution, adopted Thursday by 339 votes to 225, with 16 abstentions, condemned the mass crossings into the Spanish enclave and expressed solidarity with Ceuta and Melilla. It described the two cities as Spanish and European territories whose sovereignty and territorial integrity were “beyond doubt.”

The resolution also called on Spain and Morocco to intensify cooperation on the return and readmission of irregular migrants who entered Ceuta during the mass crossing between July 29 and 31.

At the same time, the Parliament urged the European Commission and member states to strengthen external border protection, increase support for Frontex and improve the EU’s capacity to respond to migration crises.

The resolution further said relations between the EU and neighboring countries should be based on reciprocity and effective cooperation. It called for preferential access to the EU market and EU funding to be linked to effective cooperation in areas including border management, combating migrant smuggling and trafficking, and the identification and readmission of migrants.

The European Parliament’s position comes as the July events in Ceuta have become both a Spanish domestic political issue and a broader test of the EU’s external border and migration policies.

A European Parliament research briefing published Sept. 10 described the July 30 crossing as an unprecedented episode, with an estimated 80,000 people entering Ceuta and at least 72 deaths reported at the time. The briefing said the episode exposed vulnerabilities in the EU’s external border system and prompted calls for stronger cooperation with third countries, improved early-warning mechanisms and closer coordination among member states.

The European Commission has likewise emphasized the collective responsibility of EU member states for protecting the bloc’s external borders. Following the crisis, EU interior ministers agreed to strengthen external border management, combat migrant smuggling, reinforce returns and deepen cooperation with third countries.

The Parliament’s resolution did not impose sanctions on Morocco or call for the suspension of EU-Morocco cooperation. Instead, it combined criticism over border management and migration with a call for greater cooperation with Rabat.

That approach reflects the practical role Morocco plays in the EU’s migration policy, particularly in managing movements along the western Mediterranean route. The European Parliament’s research service has described cooperation with third countries as a central component of the EU’s response to irregular migration and noted that the Ceuta crisis prompted renewed debate over how that cooperation should operate.

The resolution nevertheless introduces a more explicit political dimension to that partnership by linking aspects of EU cooperation, including market access and funding, to the effectiveness of neighboring countries in managing borders, combating smuggling and facilitating readmission.

The Ceuta episode has therefore brought several issues together: Spain’s management of its external borders, the EU’s collective responsibility for migration and border security, and the strategic importance of cooperation with Morocco in the western Mediterranean.

For Brussels, the episode has underscored that securing the EU’s external borders depends not only on measures inside the bloc but also on cooperation with neighboring countries. For Morocco and Spain, meanwhile, migration remains closely intertwined with their broader bilateral relationship and the wider EU partnership.