PP urges Spain to demand reciprocity from Morocco for Ceuta and Melilla travelers

Spain’s People’s Party has criticized the government, accusing it of failing to demand that Morocco apply the principle of reciprocity to the travel regime between the kingdom and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The party argued that preventing travelers from the two cities from bringing products or personal belongings into Morocco harms their local economies and creates «unfair competition».

During a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Melilla MP Sofía Acedo questioned why the government allows goods from Morocco to enter under the travel regime while the same products cannot be taken from Ceuta and Melilla into Morocco. She said the government is not doing enough to defend the interests of the two cities or to enforce equal treatment.

In response, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Diego Martínez Belío said the government is working to complete the normalization of passenger movement and trade exchanges. He noted that the reopening of the commercial customs office in Melilla and the launch of commercial customs operations in Ceuta represent significant progress in relations with Morocco.

He added that companies on both sides of the border are still adapting to the new customs procedures, stressing that the goal is to gradually strengthen trade exchanges and achieve full normalization of the movement of people and goods in line with international standards.