Sanchez: ‘After Ceuta, cooperation with Morocco will be different’
Madrid is set to strengthen its early-warning and coordination mechanisms following the crisis at the end of July. The Spanish Prime Minister has ruled out any proven liability on the part of Morocco, but has announced a review of bilateral relations regarding border management
Spain is preparing to review its cooperation arrangements with Morocco following the wave of migrant arrivals that swept through the exclave of Ceuta at the end of July, but without, at least for the time being, attributing direct responsibility to Rabat. During a hearing in the Congress of Deputies on the migration crisis, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reiterated that there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the Moroccan government organised or planned the influx of migrants into Spanish territory.
“There is no solid evidence,” said Sanchez, responding to allegations made by the opposition and certain political quarters that have suggested direct involvement by the Moroccan authorities. “If there were solid evidence, we would act accordingly. This government has no problem standing up to foreign powers when the situation requires it, but only on the basis of proven and verified facts,” the Prime Minister emphasised.
These statements come a few weeks after events of 30 July, when thousands of people attempted to reach Ceuta, one of the two Spanish territories on the North African coast, alongside Melilla. The incident has reignited the debate on the control of the European Union’s external borders and on the delicate diplomatic balance between Madrid and Rabat, strategic partners in managing migration flows in the western Mediterranean.
Whilst ruling out any direct responsibility on the part of Morocco at this stage, Sánchez announced a review of the existing cooperation protocols. “We are reviewing all the coordination and alert mechanisms we share with the Moroccan government,” he explained, adding that the Spanish government intends to introduce “additional safeguards to ensure that the situation experienced on 30 July does not happen again”.
The stated aim is to strengthen the capacity to prevent and respond to any new migratory pressures, in a context where cooperation between the two countries is considered essential for controlling the routes that cross the Strait of Gibraltar and the land border of the Spanish enclaves.
