The Spanish government intends to approve, on Tuesday 1 September 2026, in the Council of Ministers an extraordinary grant of €21.5 million for Ceuta and Melilla According to the government, the funds are intended to secure desalination plants in both cities and strengthen essential public services .
The planned grant is justified by the particular geographical conditions and dependence on seawater desalination. In both cities, desalination plants are crucial to the supply of drinking water, while access to conventional water resources is limited. Municipal services such as cleaning, combating fraud and regulating the movement of people and vehicles are also to receive financial support.
The measure builds on instruments already in place. The Boletín Oficial del Estado published in the Real Decreto 845/2025 allows such aid to be allocated directly for overriding public, social, economic and humanitarian reasons. The Ministry of Hacienda had also prepared equally substantial support for Ceuta and Melilla in 2024, to enable investment in water management and related services.
Government statements also cite the economic burden caused by the recent Migration crisis in Ceuta as a current reason for the measure. Government bodies describe additional labour-market relief — including temporarily favourable short-time working arrangements — as part of the wider aid framework. However, the planned €21.5 million grant is primarily intended to secure the water supply and stabilise municipal services.
A government document to be published after the Council of Ministers’ decision is expected to set out the precise distribution between Ceuta and Melilla and the monitoring mechanisms. According to the government, the funds are to be used flexibly to ensure operational reliability, drinking-water quality and the capacity of city services. The specific impact remains to be seen until the final text and allocation decisions are available.
Statements attributed to the government on the amount and purpose of the aid come from government announcements and official references to the Council of Ministers. Previous legal provisions and notices in the Boletín Oficial del Estado and from the Ministry of Hacienda provide context. Independent confirmation in national media reports supports the current rationale and planned grant amount.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).