Spain and Morocco to Finalize Border Reopening Plans in Madrid Talks

The meeting will take place in application of the commitments of the joint declaration of April 7, one of the points of which deals with "the normalization of the movement of people and goods, through customs and people control systems," the Spanish Ministry of the Interior said in a statement cited by RTVE.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, had announced on May 11, after meeting his counterpart Nasser Bourita in Rabat, that the reopening of the border between the two countries will be "orderly and progressive." A few days later, on May 17, the borders of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco were reopened, only to European Union citizens.

The second phase of the reopening was scheduled for May 31, on which date border workers whose papers are up to date should have been allowed to cross the border. But in reality, this second phase has not been effective, due to administrative constraints related to the issuance of documents by the Spanish administration.

Meanwhile, Morocco launched the Marhaba 2022 operation on Sunday, including Spanish ports again after two years of cancellation for health and diplomatic reasons. The Transit Operation officially starts on June 15 and ends on September 15.