The Ceuta crisis has triggered a new institutional conflict in Spain. The Senate is preparing to bring a case before the Constitutional Court against three ministers in Pedro Sánchez’s government, accused by the PP of refusing to appear before the upper chamber to explain themselves.
Madrid is hardening its discourse toward Rabat once again. Spain’s Foreign Ministry now believes that the repeated claims by Moroccan ministers regarding Sebta and Melilla “degrade” bilateral relations and insists that Spanish sovereignty will never be discussed with Morocco.
Spanish economist Santiago Niño Becerra believes that Spain’s departure from Ceuta and Melilla is no longer a question of possibility, but of timing. According to him, the new geopolitical balance now favors Morocco.
Donald Trump has openly attacked Spain over its border. His message comes as Madrid continues to struggle to emerge from the migration crisis in Ceuta, triggered by the massive arrivals from Morocco at the end of July.
Ceuta’s migration crisis has already caused 33 million euros in private-sector losses and 80 million euros in public spending. The bill has thus reached 113 million euros and is expected to rise further by December.
Podemos leader Ione Belarra accuses the Spanish government of being “afraid” of Morocco. She insinuates that Rabat may possess sensitive information about Pedro Sánchez, without providing the slightest evidence to support the accusation.
As Ceuta and Melilla once again become the focus of tensions between Rabat and Madrid, an old Moroccan Official Bulletin states the Kingdom’s position without beating around the bush: Moroccan territories, Spanish occupation and the desire to recover them.
The European Commission is maintaining its support for Morocco in managing migration despite the Ceuta crisis. However, the 500 million euro package covers the entire 2021-2027 period: it is not new aid decided after the July crossings.
The Ceuta crisis has severely damaged Morocco’s image in Spain. Yet only 3.1% of Spaniards want to suspend diplomatic relations with Rabat. European intervention or immediate returns at the border receive far more support.
The highest-ranking operational official in the Spanish armed forces visited Melilla, then Ceuta. Officially there to thank the military personnel, Teodoro López Calderón appeared in both cities amid a period of tensions between Madrid and Rabat.
The Ceuta crisis is beginning to affect Moroccan tourism. Spanish agencies are not yet seeing mass cancellations, but they are recording a slowdown in new bookings to Morocco. Latin American travelers, meanwhile, continue to book as usual.
Ceuta and Melilla will remain Spanish “until the end of time,” Pedro Sánchez promises. On the same day, Nizar Baraka asserts that Morocco will not retreat “a single centimeter.” The two partners are now publicly displaying completely opposing territorial positions.