The Ceuta crisis is affecting the EU’s long-awaited partnership deal with Morocco, prompting Brussels to increase funding for border control as it seeks to finalise the agreement by the end of the year.
Morocco is set to benefit from increased funding for border control and migration management following the Ceuta crisis at the end of July, as part of a long-awaited partnership agreement with Brussels, EU officials have told Euronews.
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The EU is set to finalise a deal for a strategic and comprehensive partnership with Morocco by the end of the year, similar to the one the European Commission concluded with Egypt in 2024, which included a €7.4 billion financial and investment package to boost the country's economy, manage migration, and secure regional stability.
The deal with Rabat had been in the making for years but stalled until January 2026, when an EU-Morocco meeting in Brussels prompted both sides to push negotiations forward. The delay was due to the dispute over Western Sahara, two officials told Euronews, though the issue remains unresolved.
The crisis that erupted in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta at the end of July — when around 72,000 people crossed the border irregularly, leading to around 100 deaths — is now shaping the final agreement, pushing for greater cooperation and funding for border control with Moroccan authorities.
"Migration poses a very specific challenge when it comes to EU-Morocco bilateral relations, because there is only one terrestrial border with the European Union outside of Europe, and that's between Morocco and Spain," MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar (Spain/S&D), a former justice minister, told Euronews.
EU officials deny that the Ceuta crisis accelerated work on the partnership agreement, which was expected by year's end regardless, but acknowledge it prompted Brussels to increase the resources dedicated to security, migration and border management.
"Whenever the situation gets completely out of control, it is impossible not to assume that some of Morocco's tactics or strategic decisions are behind it all," López added.
Some migrants interviewed by The New York Times said that Moroccan authorities encouraged them to cross the border, although Morocco denies any wrongdoing.
The Ceuta crisis has indeed strengthened Morocco's hand in the negotiations, with Brussels set to beef up the migration aspect of the deal.
While the details of the agreement are still being ironed out, EU support for migration management in neighbouring countries typically falls into two categories: support for border authorities, including training, surveillance and patrol equipment; and hosting capacity, including the establishment of refugee camps.
"Morocco already benefits from financial support for migration management. Between 2021-2024, we have already committed €222 million, and we foresee to provide an additional €190 million until the end of this budget cycle in 2027," a Commission spokesperson told Euronews.
The Ceuta crisis occurred despite this support, with the images of non-EU nationals rushing to cross the border into the Spanish enclave spread worldwide, sparking sharp reactions from European governments and fuelling anti-migration sentiment.
"We are already working with the Moroccan authorities on a more structured and forward-looking partnership with the EU," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in early August, responding to the events in Ceuta.
In the same letter, von der Leyen called for tighter checks and physical barriers to prevent similar incidents recurring, part of a broader securitarian approach that has come to dominate the EU's migration policy.
"We could enhance border management and early-warning systems and improve our technical and financial support to Morocco," she wrote, describing Morocco as an "important strategic partner", particularly on migration.
During the informal videoconference of home affairs ministers held in response to the Ceuta crisis, the partnership agreement with Morocco was not explicitly raised. Still, ministers agreed to strengthen partnerships to combat illegal migration.
"For the future, we want to tackle challenges together, enhance our relationship with Morocco and extend the existing partnership to new priority areas of mutual interests," the Commission spokesperson said.
"This is why we are determined to work together to deepen our bilateral partnership and negotiate a Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, building on the already very solid bilateral partnership," the spokesperson added.
The EU has been building out its migration strategy with non-EU partners by announcing medium- to long-term projects with countries of origin or transit for non-EU nationals attempting to enter the EU irregularly.
In recent years, more structured deals have been struck with Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania and Tunisia, among others.
These deals typically see the EU investing across a range of sectors — digitalisation, green policy, migration and AI — in exchange for the partner country reducing migrant departures.
Delivery partners on the ground are usually EU member states, private companies partly financed by European governments, and UN agencies.
The expansion of such agreements with non-EU countries is a growing EU strategy, despite sharp criticism from civil society and NGOs, which have denounced the systematic abuse and exploitation of migrants by local authorities on the ground.
"The real lesson from Ceuta should be why so many young people are willing to risk their lives to cross the European border," Sara Prestianni, advocacy director at the NGO Euromed Rights, told Euronews.
"Analysing the events of Ceuta from this perspective should lead the EU to focus mainly on addressing the socio-economic and political drivers of migration, rather than opting for a more securitised approach focused on reinforcing border management," she said.
The EU already has deep ties with Morocco, with several partnerships underway, particularly on green policy, alongside developed trade relations.
The Spanish government declined to comment on whether it was aware of the ongoing negotiations.