Sanchez, in a lengthy address to the Congress of Deputies, promised a 100 million euros increase in aid for Ceuta, a visit by King Felipe VI “in the coming weeks,” and preferential treatment from the European Union (EU).

His speech stems from the migration crisis in the Spanish autonomous city, where more than 70,000 people entered irregularly between July 30 and 31.

Regarding the exceptional support for Ceuta, the president of the Government remembered that the Council of Ministers had already approved an initial package of 309 million euros in aid and investment, and is working with local authorities on an extraordinary expansion of this initiative, allocating at least another 100 million euros.

He announced that the government will ask the EU to recognize the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla as outermost regions, “something that entails numerous advantages,” to join the EU.

Regarding the monarch’s future presence in both autonomous cities, Sanchez reported that the Government has asked King Felipe VI to visit them “in the coming weeks” to “convey the State’s absolute commitment to these autonomous cities.”

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