European Union leaders have been handed a draft summit text recognising the “special situation” of Ceuta and Melilla as the bloc’s only land border with Africa, though it keeps the invasion of Ceuta out of its section on migration.
The European Council opened in Brussels on October 15, the first meeting of heads of state and government since some 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish city on July 30 and 31. Most went back within 48 hours though several thousand remain.
The draft, seen by Europa Press, deals with the episode in a point of its own, where leaders express solidarity with Spain over the sudden flow of migrants and welcome the EU support given to the two cities.
The migration section itself points to a fall in irregular entries and a rise in returns across the Union over the past year, and warns of migration being used by third countries to destabilise Europe.
The European Commission released €114.7 million to reinforce the border and speed up returns, and wants all those who crossed expelled quickly. Spanish Government sources said the recognition of the two as European border cities followed weeks of answering questions from partners.
Leaders are also looking for the first time at the negotiating box circulated on October 10 by Ireland, which holds the rotating Council presidency and has proposed cutting the Commission’s plan by 8 per cent, or €141 billion, to about €1.62 trillion in 2025 prices.
Germany and the Netherlands want deeper cuts, while Spain, Italy and Poland, grouped as the Friends of Cohesion, said the reduction risked undermining the Union’s priorities.
The text keeps new revenue from large companies, tobacco, electronic waste and the carbon border levy, but drops the charges on digital platforms, cryptocurrencies and online gambling sought by the European Parliament.
European Council President António Costa wants the budget closed by the end of the year, though several delegations say they feel no pressure from the calendar. Spain’s snap election on November 29 will force Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to campaign between budget meetings on November 13 and 27.
Trade defence against China also features on the first day, after Beijing offered to halve its hybrid vehicle exports to Europe within four years, with Paris and Berlin pressing for harder instruments.
On October 16 leaders turn to the hybrid attacks attributed to Russia, after drone incidents in the Baltic states, the Black Sea and at Germany’s Leipzig airport. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has floated an emergency protocol for member states and a European Security Council taking in Britain, Canada and Ukraine, though no concrete measures are expected.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to attend in person.
