Morocco Blocks Goods from Spanish Enclaves, Sparking Trade Tensions at Ceuta and Melilla Borders

"There is no intelligent, flexible border, nothing at all. It’s total chaos," said Enrique Alcoba, president of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Melilla (CEME-CEOE), in an interview with El Español, denouncing the fact that no product purchased in Ceuta or Melilla is allowed to enter Morocco while traffic is allowed in the opposite direction. "It only works one way. The people who went to Morocco came back practically with their suitcases full of food, and all kinds of products, even counterfeit ones," he complains.

To read: Spain’s PP Demands Equal Trade Rules at Melilla-Morocco Border Crossing

The organization says it is aware of the entry into Melilla of sports shirts of the Nike and Adidas brands, and counterfeit watches. "It seems that the atypical trade is back, but in the opposite direction," Alcoba stressed. During a meeting held on Friday with the government delegate in Melilla, Sabrina Moh, the businessmen wished for reciprocity in the flow of goods with Morocco which could set a purchase limit of "400,000 euros, as the Spanish customs has done".

To read: Spanish Enclaves Struggle as Morocco Tightens Border Controls

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 31, phase 2 of the "orderly and progressive" reopening of the border will begin, with the announced passage of nearly 400 cross-border workers registered with the Social Security and holding a special visa. The businessmen of Melilla are wondering how this passage will take place, when the commercial customs will be operational and if Ceuta and Melilla will participate in the Marhaba Operation 2022.

To read: Melilla Businesses See Little Change After Border Reopening with Morocco

For its part, Morocco does not confirm that commercial customs will be put into service. Some Moroccan politicians claim that customs will be installed, but rather in Tanger Med and in the port of Nador. "If the Marhaba Operation starts on June 15, this can lead to total chaos, because the border is only open in one direction," warns Enrique Alcoba who does not despair, however, of a return to normal. "We want reciprocity, a series of things that we do not see at the moment," he concluded.