Moroccan textiles are losing ground in their main market as several Mediterranean competitors accelerate. In the first half of 2026, Spanish purchases of Moroccan clothing fell by 3.6%, while those from Turkey surged by nearly 50%.
Automotive, textiles, agriculture: 17,000 Spanish companies work with Morocco, and more than 350 have a permanent presence there. After the Ceuta crisis, any sanctions against Rabat would therefore risk directly hurting the Spanish economy.
Turkish sales to Morocco have risen by 11.7 % since January, despite measures taken to protect domestic production. This new surge is reviving the debate over a free-trade agreement that remains highly favorable to Ankara.
Despite tensions surrounding Ceuta, Morocco and Spain have never been so closely linked economically. Trade, automotive, textiles, tourism and energy now form an interconnected web of interests that a prolonged crisis would make both countries pay for.
Textile workers in Tangier are leaving factories to join teams paid by the piece, which are seen as freer and more profitable. The system is used by manufacturers to handle foreign orders, but ultimately worsens their labor shortage.
The hourly labor cost in the manufacturing industry is approximately 2.8 dollars in Morocco, compared with only 0.7 dollars in Egypt. Despite this one-to-four gap, the World Bank considers that Moroccan textiles retain several advantages over their competitors.
The European Union has just maintained a hefty tariff on certain technical fabrics shipped from Morocco. The particularity: the 30.7% duty applies even when these products are declared to be of Moroccan origin.
Moroccan textile and leather exports fell by 6.5% in the first half of 2026, while Morocco’s overall sales abroad continued to grow.
Organized networks allegedly conceal new clothing in secondhand shipments imported to Morocco. Declared as used garments or humanitarian aid, these goods would thus escape customs duties before being resold in stores.
A joint operation by customs and tax authorities has dismantled a vast fraud network involving seven companies. The damage, estimated at 1.17 billion dirhams, combines false declarations, tax evasion and illicit fund transfers abroad.
A vast investigation reveals how Moroccan companies divert export subsidies to evade taxes. Their ultimate goal: massively transfer their profits abroad to purchase residences or foreign nationalities.
A vast criminal network is flooding Spain with textile waste from Morocco . Falsely declared as second-hand clothing, over 2,000 tonnes of industrial waste have been abandoned clandestinely, causing an ecological disaster and serious fire hazards.