At least that’s what a textile entrepreneur, promoter of a clothing brand in Melilla, would have learned about a year ago. “Beni Ensar sent the container back to me when he realized that the goods came from Melilla. They told me that we could not export from one Moroccan city to another Moroccan city, that it was illegal,” the businessman confided to the newspaper. The Spanish.
This situation affects businessmen in Melilla who have suffered since August 2018 from the closure of customs by Morocco, which pushed them to close their businesses in the autonomous city and create a new one in Andalusia or Morocco in order to continue to operate. export to the kingdom. “Since the closure of customs, exporters from Melilla have left for Morocco, or have had to create a business or find a partner on the continent to continue working,” confirms Enrique Alcoba, president of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Melilla (CEME- CEOE).
Read: Morocco accused of suffocating Melilla
Faced with this situation, Enrique Alcoba asks the Spanish government to defend the interests of Melilla and Sebta in the European Parliament. “We hope that our government will demand in Brussels that Morocco respects European regulations on commercial customs, and that the travel regime is reciprocal in both directions,” declared the official who is worried about the future. “No commercial customs, no travelers regime, no tourism, no buyers from Morocco, and to enter Melilla they require a visa.”
“It’s a shame. Morocco allows absolutely nothing. Melilla and Ceuta have been dealing with the health emergencies and births of their Moroccan neighbors for decades. Centuries of neighborhood relations and exchanges. And the Spanish government is incapable of unblocking anything,” says Amin Azmani, MP for Somos Melilla. When contacted, the government delegation in Melilla assured that it was “not aware” of this decision by Morocco.
Morocco
