Royal Decree-Law: 45.3 million in urgent support for services in Ceuta

The Government has approved Royal Decree-Law 30/2026, of October 13, which approves extraordinary and urgent financial support measures for the City of Ceuta following the irregular entry of migrants in late July. The regulation is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) no. 255, of October 14, 2026, with reference BOE-A-2026-21318, and mobilizes 45,320,000 euros in direct grants and extraordinary credits. It enters into force the day following its publication, October 15, 2026.

The text is based on a finding detailed in its statement of motives: the irregular entry of migrants into the City of Ceuta on July 30 and 31, 2026, is having a strong impact on the ordinary functioning of its public administration, the provision of its essential and mandatory services, and the daily lives of its citizens. According to the Executive, the resulting exceptionality necessitates an increase in financial support to guarantee those services, including mandatory ones, and to cover the extraordinary expenses generated by the migratory crisis that occurred starting July 31, 2026.

The Government’s response had been phased in previous regulations: Royal Decree 681/2026, of August 25, declared the situation of interest for national security in the city; Royal Decree 705/2026, of August 26, approved the declaration of resources to be employed; and Royal Decree-Law 22/2026, of September 1, articulated urgent social and economic measures to alleviate pressure on companies and self-employed workers and to reinforce personnel in health, security forces and bodies, defense, education, and the administration of justice.

Direct grants and extraordinary credits

Article 1 regulates the direct granting of subsidies to the City of Ceuta, charged to Section 37, Service 02, General Secretariat for Autonomous and Local Financing, program 942N. The distribution is as follows:

• 40,670,000 euros for extraordinary current expenses (application 37.02.942N.467).
• 4,650,000 euros for capital expenditures (application 37.02.942N.767).
• Total: 45,320,000 euros, which are implemented through extraordinary credits in the current budget.

The funds are destined for urgent actions in a closed list of areas:

• Environment and social services.
• Public health, cemeteries, and funeral services.
• Education, security, civil protection, and emergencies.
• Fairs, supplies, markets, fish markets, and street vending.

These are competencies inherent to city councils according to Law 7/1985, of April 2, regulating the Bases of the Local Regime, applicable to the autonomous city pursuant to article 25 of its Statute of Autonomy, approved by Organic Law 1/1995, of March 13. The grants will be made effective under the terms of the resolution issued by the holder of the Secretary of State for Finance, in accordance with article 22.2.b) of Law 38/2003, of November 17, General Law on Subsidies, and the credits will be financed according to article 59 of Law 47/2003, of November 26, General Budgetary Law.

Migration crisis expenses and fiscal rules

Article 2 mandates that, for the purposes of assessing compliance with fiscal rules, the extraordinary expenses incurred by the City of Ceuta as a result of the migration crisis shall be considered separately, and must be recorded accounting-wise in a separate manner. The earmarked funding received to cover these expenses shall be allocated to the fiscal year in which the expenditure occurs.

Article 3 establishes a temporary exception: in the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years, articles 21, 23, and 25 of Organic Law 2/2012, of April 27, on Budgetary Stability and Financial Sustainability, shall not apply to the City of Ceuta regarding failures to meet the stability objective or the expenditure rule occurring in the 2025 settlement or that may occur in the 2026 settlement. The regulation thus avoids the requirement for agreements on the non-availability of credits and the application of coercive measures.

Processing, legal rank, and publicity

The provision is issued under rule 14 of article 149.1 of the Spanish Constitution, which reserves exclusive competence to the State in matters of general Finance and State Debt, and is approved upon the proposal of the Minister of Finance, following deliberation by the Council of Ministers at its meeting on October 13, 2026. The text consists of three articles and two final provisions, and is signed by King Felipe R. and by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón.

The statement of motives justifies the use of the decree-law under article 86 of the Constitution due to the extraordinary and urgent need to approve grants through the most agile procedure possible. The regulation is exempt from public consultation and hearing procedures; it will be referred to the Congress of Deputies for validation in a public debate, and the granting of aid will be published in the National Subsidies Database, identifying beneficiaries, amount, object, and purpose.

The impact of the measure is twofold for the residents of Ceuta: on one hand, it injects immediate state funding into municipal services that directly serve the citizens, such as social services, public health, education, security, and sanitation; on the other, it shields the autonomous city’s accounts from fiscal rules for two fiscal years, ensuring that expenses derived from the migratory crisis do not penalize its spending capacity nor force cuts in the rest of the budget.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 255, of October 14, 2026, Sec. I. General provisions, pp. 136663-136669 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-21318).