Morocco Unveils Plan to Streamline Border Crossings for Expats Returning Home

The Mission identified several malfunctions in the organization of Operation Marhaba. It mentions in its report the weak collaboration between the departments involved in the preparation of the operation, the absence of a specific body responsible for the management of the crossing points, the low availability of equipment made available to the health agents working with the Mohammed VI Foundation for Solidarity, the high cost of tickets for the Algeciras-Tanger Med and Tarifa-Tanger Med routes, the lack of human resources and the absence of a dedicated budget for the operation.

The report of this Mission, whose objective is to inquire about the constraints and difficulties encountered by the MREs at the various crossing points, will be presented in plenary session during the next parliamentary session, explained the President of the Mission, Hassan Berkani, to the newspaper Le Matin. The authors of the report have made recommendations "that would improve the quality of the transit operation and provide the MREs with conditions that are worthy of the place they hold with H.M. the King and all Moroccans".

In their recommendations, the members of the Mission insisted in particular on the need to improve the crossing conditions, which involves the convergence of the actions of the various stakeholders at the national and regional level during Operation Marhaba, and the strengthening of the human and material resources mobilized in this context. They also called on the authorities to strengthen the reception infrastructure and streamline the check-in, control and search operations to facilitate the passage of MREs, taking into account the record influx recorded last year at the Sebta and Melilla crossing points.