After Ceuta, Brussels Now Wields the Threat of Trade Measures Against Morocco

The tone is hardening in Brussels. During a visit to Ceuta alongside Spanish opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo and the city’s president Juan Jesús Vivas, Manfred Weber directly warned Rabat of the repercussions that a new border crisis could have.

“If we are unable to stabilize our borders, there will be obvious consequences. There is no doubt about that,” declared the president of the European People’s Party. He explicitly referred to trade agreements, security cooperation and other important matters in relations between Morocco and the European Union, reports Euronews.

On Bladi.net : After Ceuta, Brussels does not cut the 500 million earmarked for Morocco

The German official is also asking Morocco to take back all the people who entered Ceuta illegally during the mass influx at the end of July. Some 72 000 crossings were recorded at the time by the Spanish authorities. A large proportion of the migrants quickly returned to Morocco, but several thousand people remained in the enclave.

The future partnership with Morocco at stake

The pressure comes as Brussels and Rabat have been negotiating a much broader strategic partnership for several months. It is notably intended to provide for an increase in European funding devoted to border control and migration management. According to Euronews, citing European officials, the finalization of this agreement was put on hold after the Ceuta crisis.

Before these events, the European Union had nevertheless planned to grant Morocco an additional 190 million euros through 2027 for migration management, after 222 million had been committed between 2021 and 2024. Brussels was even considering increasing the resources allocated to surveillance, patrols and alert systems, according to a previous investigation by the same outlet.

Weber’s statement also comes after a report by the Spanish National Police attributed a role to Moroccan agents in the mass crossings. However, the Spanish government refuses to accuse Rabat of organizing the operation, believing that no definitive evidence currently makes it possible to establish the involvement of the Moroccan authorities.

On Bladi.net : Morocco Calls for the Return of Minors, Spain Accuses It of Failing to Respond to 600 Cases

Manfred Weber also took aim at Pedro Sánchez. He considers it abnormal that the situation in Ceuta has continued for several weeks and criticizes the Spanish government for having sent “contradictory signals” with its program to regularize foreigners in an irregular situation.

The return of all the migrants demanded by the European right nevertheless remains impossible in the current circumstances. Spain’s Minister for Youth, Sira Rego, has already warned that the majority of unaccompanied minors would remain in Spain, in accordance with national legislation and child-protection rules.