Heba Press: Muhammad Zariyouh
Morocco and Spain have reached an agreement to restore commercial traffic at the Melilla and Ceuta crossings during the next few days, after a long pause. This new agreement comes to reorganize trade relations between the two sides according to conditions that were considered “strict” by the Moroccan side, which sparked controversy in Spanish circles, especially within the cities of Melilla and Ceuta.
Under the agreement, Morocco was able to impose its conditions regarding goods allowed to pass through the two crossings. Moroccan agricultural and fishery products, of all kinds, will be able to enter the two cities, while merchants of occupied Melilla and Ceuta will not be allowed to enter all their goods into Morocco, with the exception of products manufactured within the two cities only.
This agreement displeased the head of the Melilla city government, Juan José Embroda, who considered that these arrangements might lead to “the loss of Spanish sovereignty” over the city. “In Morocco, they will consider Melilla just another Moroccan city,” Embroda stated, referring to the growing Moroccan influence over the two cities under Spanish administration.
On the other hand, many merchants and businessmen in Melilla expressed their disappointment with the new agreement. They considered that Morocco’s requirement to accept only goods manufactured within Melilla would make exports difficult, which could lead to major economic damage to the city’s merchants who depend mainly on the Moroccan market.
It is expected that this step will contribute to regulating trade exchanges according to clear rules, but the ongoing controversy reflects the extent of the complexity that accompanies relations between Morocco and Spain regarding Melilla and Ceuta, and the economic and political effects that may result from this agreement.
