Ceuta, Melilla, Sahara: Spain under Moroccan pressure

The year 2025 ends with a mixed assessment for Pedro Sánchez. Besieged by domestic problems and concerned about his political survival, the head of the Spanish government has opted for a "low profile" with his North African neighbors. The main objective has been achieved: to avoid crises with Rabat and Algiers. But fundamentally, the major files are not progressing, indicates La Razòn.

More than two and a half years after the diplomatic turning point of March 2022, when Madrid lent its support to the Moroccan autonomy plan, the expected counterparts for Spain are slow to materialize.

The Sánchez government has been unable to convince Rabat to reopen the commercial customs of Melilla (unilaterally closed in 2018) or to open that of Sebta. Despite successful pilot tests and announcements of openings, the "bureaucratic obstacles" persist. For Morocco, which considers these two cities as occupied territories, customs normalization remains a political lever. Similarly, the delimitation of territorial waters on the Atlantic facade remains pending.

It is on the Sahara issue that the future of the relationship is at stake. During the recent 13th High-Level Meeting (RAN) in Madrid, organized in haste, the Head of the Moroccan government was unequivocal.

In an interview given on the sidelines of this meeting, Aziz Akhannouch recalled that the cornerstone of the Kingdom’s alliances is "the unambiguous support for national sovereignty, complete and indivisible". In other words: support for the autonomy plan is no longer enough. Rabat expects Madrid to recognize Morocco’s full sovereignty over the Sahara, following in the footsteps of Washington and Paris.

Spain is therefore ending the year "in the wake of Morocco", noting the effectiveness of a Moroccan diplomacy with clear objectives and assured action, faced with a Spanish executive still struggling to explain its change of course to its own Parliament.