Business Leaders Oppose Visa Requirements for Moroccan Border City Residents

When presenting its "Strategic Plan for Melilla", the organization chaired by Enrique Alcoba indicated that this visa exemption for residents of Tetouan and Nador, the two Moroccan cities closest to Ceuta and Melilla, has existed for 30 years. "Regarding the suppression of the visa exemption for residents of Nador and Tetouan, we still do not have a definitive position," the association said.

To read: Spain Considers Ending Visa-Free Entry for Moroccans at Ceuta and Melilla Borders

On the other hand, the organization is "in favor of the suppression of the "multiple visa" for the rest of the Moroccans not residing in these provinces", to remain in line with EC Regulation 1931/2006 on small border traffic at the external land borders of Member States. For the CEME, "neither Spain nor the EU should allow Morocco to prevent the transit of European tourists through Ceuta and Melilla as it has announced", adding that "good neighborly relations must be based on mutual respect".

Morocco has closed its land borders with Ceuta and Melilla since March 13, 2020 due to the Covid-19 health crisis. After eighteen months of closure, no prospect of reopening is currently envisaged.