This Tuesday, the Government approved a Royal Decree-Law of urgent measures to cushion the economic and social impact caused by the migration crisis unleashed at the end of July in Ceuta, with a mobilization of 309 million euros in the remainder of 2026, to which another 50 million were added in ICO guarantee lines. The package, approved by a practically monographic Council of Ministers, is equivalent to 16% of the GDP of the autonomous city and concentrates in “just four months” an extraordinary volume of resources to “sustain the productive fabric, reinforce public services and face the consequences of migratory pressure.”
The rule, which is extendable to Melilla, also introduces permanent changes in a decision that went beyond the immediate response to the crisis. The Executive thus intends to address the open gap in the Ceuta economy, where the first estimates placed business losses at around 28 million euros, but also to reinforce the structural conditions of both autonomous cities.
The decision formalizes the commitment announced on Monday by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and substantially raises the initial aid forecasts. To contain the impact on the labor market and small businesses, the Executive will allocate 80 million euros to an economic relief package. The main item, 36.6 million, was directed to 2,600 self-employed workers, who would receive 5,000 euros each, and 1,400 companies, with aid of between 10,000 and 150,000 euros depending on their turnover. Applications would be managed through the Tax Agency starting September 14 and the first payments were scheduled for the beginning of October.
To this aid, 14 million are added to recover the economic and business activity of Ceuta and reinforce the confidence of consumers, visitors and companies, through consumer and tourism vouchers and promotional campaigns. Within this chapter, the Ceuta Exporta plan would receive one million euros to promote the internationalization of the city's companies through ICEX and another million would be allocated to an international promotion campaign for Ceuta as a tourist destination.
The decree also incorporates structural changes in the labor and fiscal sphere. The business bonus on Social Security contributions for permanent contracts will go from 50% to 75%, both in Ceuta and Melilla, conditional on the completion of training actions. The measure will mean 12.2 million euros during the remaining four months of the year. The Corporate Tax bonus will also be raised from 50% to 60% for entities resident in both cities and for those that maintain their activity and jobs there. Added to this are improvements in personal income tax taxation for the self-employed. The fiscal measures, of a permanent nature, will mean a reduction of 12 million euros.
On a temporary basis, the Ministry of Labor has articulated an ERTE regime due to force majeure with exemption from Social Security contributions for companies whose activity has been interrupted or limited by the crisis. The affected self-employed will also have access to an extraordinary benefit for cessation of activity and the plan includes 650,000 euros to reinforce the training of workers through the State Public Employment Service (SEPE). The business package is completed with a line of ICO guarantees of up to 50 million euros.
A substantial part of the funds will be allocated to humanitarian response and strengthening the capacities of the State. Reception concentrates 118 million euros, of which 63.6 million are reserved to care for unaccompanied foreign minors who remain in the city and another 53.4 million for the accommodation and basic care of immigrants.
Security and defense will receive another 90 million. Of that amount, 74 million corresponded to the deployment of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces, with funds for personnel and means, transportation, logistics and maintenance of material. The Government will also enable extraordinary performance incentives of 7.1 million for the National Police and eight million for the Civil Guard.
Essential services will receive another 21 million. INGESA will incorporate a hundred professionals to reinforce primary and hospital care, with an investment of 3.5 million. 3.2 million will be allocated to reinforce security in educational centers and psychosocial support for the educational community, while another 4.5 million will allow the Administration of Justice to be reinforced, with new judges, prosecutors, lawyers from the Administration of Justice and officials, in addition to financing free legal assistance and computer support.
The chapter will be completed with a subsidy of two million euros to the autonomous city, to which will be added the more than seven million approved for the desalination plant.
The plan has been approved after the Government declared the situation of interest for National Security in Ceuta and established a single command under the direction of the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres. With the economic package, the Executive tries to move from the immediate response to the migration crisis to a phase of recovery of economic activity and reinforcement of the city's capacities in the face of future situations of border pressure.
