The implementation of commercial customs is one of the main conditions to relaunch the economy of Ceuta and Melilla and put an end to smuggling at the borders of the two cities with Morocco, after more than two years of closure.
More than a hundred vehicles were this Sunday at the Tarajal border in Ceuta to enter Morocco. The monster traffic jam caused drivers to spend at least two hours at the border before accessing the kingdom.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, declared on Wednesday before Congress that "the Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla is beyond doubt". He says he has discussed this with King Mohammed VI.
Spain and Morocco have not reached an agreement on the reopening of the commercial customs in Melilla and the creation of a new one in Ceuta, during the meeting held on Tuesday in Madrid. The two countries have planned to meet again "in the coming days" on this subject.
A Moroccan, subject to an international arrest warrant issued by the Moroccan authorities, was apprehended on Tuesday by the Spanish Civil Guard in Ceuta.
Swept away last July by the Ghali affair which provoked a serious diplomatic crisis with Morocco, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha Gonzales Laya, mentions "telephone tappings, complaints, campaigns, including press campaigns" which have "served to blur this humanitarian aid" provided to the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali.
The Spanish Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, asked the press on Monday to avoid making "inappropriate" speculations about the spying of Pedro Sanchez’s phones and the migration crisis of May 2021 in Ceuta, stating that Morocco is a "strategic" and loyal partner of Spain.
Spanish and Moroccan delegations will hold a meeting on Tuesday in Madrid to finalize the process of reopening the borders and define the new conditions for the movement of people and goods in Ceuta and Melilla.
The National Intelligence Center (CNI) informed the Spanish government that the irregular entry of thousands of migrants in Ceuta in May 2021 was part of Morocco’s strategy to pressure Spain to change its position on the Sahara.
Nabil Lakhdar, Director General of Customs of Morocco, affirms that it will be possible to establish a customs infrastructure with Ceuta and Melilla. Beforehand, certain necessary modifications will have to be made.
The Director General of Moroccan Customs, Nabil Lakhdar, said that "there will be no commercial customs" in Ceuta, adding that "the border crossings of Ceuta and Melilla are only small corridors for customs controls".
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska assured on Thursday from Brussels that Ceuta and Melilla already have "all the support" of the government, without specifying whether the latter is studying the possibility of integrating the two autonomous cities into the Schengen area.