Spain to overhaul asylum legislation to meet new EU migration pact amid Ceuta crisis

Spain's government said it will present a draft bill to amend immigration and asylum laws, aiming to bring national legislation into line with the European Pact on Migration and Asylum that took effect in June. The pact eases the rejection of asylum claims and speeds up expulsions, a change the government says will still safeguard fundamental rights.

The proposal follows the July incident in which roughly 80,000 people entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in a single day. Most have been returned, but about 5,000, including an estimated 2,000 minors, remain in the city. Efforts to relocate the minors to mainland Spain under an emergency decree have stalled amid disagreement between the central government, the opposition People's Party and Ceuta authorities.

The draft bill, approved by the cabinet on Tuesday, would also introduce the EU's "screening" procedure and apply to other regions such as the Canary Islands, which have seen a rise in irregular boat arrivals. The government has classified the Ceuta situation as a matter of national security and called for a single command to coordinate the response.

European Commission officials have urged Spain to return individuals without legal grounds to stay in the EU while ensuring minors' rights are protected under international conventions. The Spanish prime minister has not yet spoken publicly about the crisis since a visit to Ceuta at the end of July, when he said the country's territorial integrity had been breached.