Government Approves €309M Emergency Decree for Ceuta, Reception Capacity Now Over 3,400

Spain's Council of Ministers approves an urgent decree-law mobilising €309 million plus €50 million in loan guarantees for the rest of 2026: €118M for humanitarian assistance and minors' care, €90M for security reinforcement, €80M for economic activity support (including €36.6M in direct aid to roughly 2,500 self-employed workers and 1,500 businesses, plus consumer/tourism vouchers and tax relief), and €21M for essential services (healthcare, justice, water infrastructure). Applications open Sept 14 with payments beginning in October. Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo says the government wants to 'provide sufficient funding to mitigate the shock' to Ceuta's economy. The announcement comes alongside confirmation that migrant reception capacity has more than doubled to over 3,400 places within a week, with the government ruling out mainland transfer as the primary solution.