EU Approves €115 Million Emergency Aid for Spain to Strengthen Ceuta Border Security

The European Union (EU) on Wednesday announced that it would grant Spain some €115 million ($130 million) in emergency financial aid to help bolster the bloc's external borders and return thousands of individuals who overwhelmed authorities in the country's North African exclave Ceuta in late July.

Spain initially requested the funding on August 24.

Brussels said the funds would help finance "measures to enhance border surveillance, border protection and security-related infrastructure" such as thermal cameras, floating buoy systems and underwater drones: "It will also serve to set up facilities for the screening of migrants, as well as to support returns of those who remain illegally in Ceuta."

"The situation in Ceuta has put pressure on our external borders," said European Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen. "Our message remains clear: We are committed to combating illegal migration and ensuring the swift return of those who remain illegally in Ceuta."

What happened in Ceuta?

On July 30 and 31, images of migrants storming the borders of the exclave sent shockwaves across the EU and beyond as more than 72,000 individuals crossed into Spanish territory from Morocco.

Scores of migrants died in their attempt to reach EU territory, most by drowning.

Although most of those who breached Ceuta's borders have been returned, thousands remain, many of them unaccompanied minors living in dire conditions.

The incident caused a major rift among EU member states, most publicly between Spain's left-wing government and Italy's far-right leadership.

Although Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said that there is "no solid proof" that Morocco was to blame for the incident, Madrid's top criminal court on Monday opened an investigation into whether African authorities had facilitated the illegal rush.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko