
Spanish Far-Right Party Vox Urges Government to Secure Moroccan Recognition of Ceuta and Melilla
The Vox party is asking the government of Pedro Sanchez to demand that Morocco explicitly recognize Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla.

The Vox party is asking the government of Pedro Sanchez to demand that Morocco explicitly recognize Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla.

A Moroccan is accused of having stabbed to death on Monday his neighbor in the San José neighborhood of Zaragoza. The national police have opened an investigation to shed light on what appears to be a murder.

The President of the Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, met with the Moroccan Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on the sidelines of the Congress of the European People’s Party. The Spanish leader assured the Moroccan official that he will reverse Pedro Sanchez’s decision on the Sahara if he succeeds him.

The new directives put in place following the reopening of the border posts of the two Spanish enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, are not to the liking of merchants, especially those specialized in smuggling.

Enagás CEO Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri stated on Tuesday that Spain exports more gas to France through the interconnections at Irún (Guipúzcoa) and Larrau (Navarre) than it imports from Algeria via the Medgaz.

Phase 2 of the reopening of the border with Morocco was supposed to start this Tuesday with the passage of cross-border workers blocked in Ceuta since March 2020. But strangely, no movement was observed.

Goods traffic in Melilla will be limited from June 8, the date on which controls will start on the Spanish side of the border with Morocco.

Facial recognition at the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, envisaged by the Spanish authorities, is strongly contested by human rights organizations, who denounce a violation of the fundamental rights of citizens.

The Civil Guard of Guipuzcoa (Basque Country) arrested four minor migrants, including Moroccans, in the town of Irun as they were trying to cross the Bidasoa river where many migrants had drowned in the past trying to reach France.

The closure of the borders in Ceuta and Melilla has led to a significant increase in Moroccan customs revenue, driven by the end of the smuggling phenomenon.

The report entitled "Ceuta and Melilla: more Spain, more Europe" will be presented on June 1 to the European Parliament. This is a document that addresses the possibility of the two autonomous cities being integrated into the European Union.

No goods destined for Morocco are allowed to cross the border posts of Beni Ensar in Melilla and Tarajal in Ceuta since the reopening of the borders on May 17. Businessmen in the two autonomous cities are calling for reciprocity in traffic.