After the countries of the European Union (EU) highlighted on Monday the “high value” of its “strategic relationship” with Morocco and his intention to “continue and increase” that link, the director of the Ceuta and Melilla Observatory, Carlos Echeverría, has assured that “the problem is that Morocco uses its relationship with the EU or community law in a very elastic way”.
In their opinion, they believe, and they want the rest of the world to believe it too, that “it is politics that must prevail” and they flatly reject, for example, the rulings of the Court of Justice of the EU. In this sense, Echeverría recalls that both Spain and the EU are based “on the rule of law, no matter who it bothers.”
The strategic partnership with Morocco does not reassure the professorwhose “greatest concern” in relation to Melilla, Ceuta and the other Spanish territories in North Africa is that, every time there is a hardening of the attitude or positioning of the European Union that Morocco considers hostile, such as that sentence that overturned the agreements on agriculture and fishing – despite which Echeverria thinks that Morocco will insist that fishing continue in waters adjacent to Western Sahara, ignoring the ruling in particular and International Law, using any type of procedure to do so -, “They always put in their sights who they consider the most vulnerable actor, which for them is Spain through its territories.”.
Therefore, and as much as the EU has expressed this “strategic relationship”, Echeverría thinks that “The negative consequences of this decision will be reflected in an attitude of greater hostility or pressure with the various hybrid tools available to Morocco.”.
Thus, the director of the Ceuta and Melilla Observatory advocates “not waiting to be reactive, but rather strengthening ourselves to prevent any reaction, whatever it may be, from harming us and making us more vulnerable.”
The idea, therefore, is that, according to Echeverría, given the “structural vulnerability” of Spain in its relations with Morocco and the Spanish territories in North Africa, any Moroccan response to show “indignation or anger” may involve these territories. . “That is, that We can expect a Moroccan reaction focused on Spain, because it is the usual praxis of that state”, he warns.
Therefore, Echeverría warns that Morocco, “Apart from reducing the surprising collaboration that has been shown in recent weeks to keep the border calm, it can prolong in time any favorable decision in relation to customs or the border as such.or increase its pressure on different fronts, with different actors, in relation to the cities or the rocks.”
Morocco can also, in his opinion, reuse the different forums for this “unacceptable claim” about autonomous cities. “That is, more of the same, but perhaps intensified,” he summarizes.
Regarding customs, he makes it clear once again that, although he made the commitment to open the one in Ceuta and reopen the one in Melilla, “it is clear that Morocco has no intention of complying”. Thus, and no matter how much the EU talks about a strategic relationship, Echeverría does not expect Morocco to reopen the Melilla customs office, “which closed in 2018, violating the law and the fundamental principle of good neighborliness between states,” nor to create that of Ceuta. “I believe, and I hope I am wrong, that Morocco has no intention of implementing such tools,” he insists.
Fhimades and economics days
On the other hand, Echeverría will be present in Melilla next Thursday, October 24, he will be present in Melilla to attend, as a professor at the National University of Distance Education (UNED), a conference on security in the Sahel and the role of Spain organized by the Foundation for Hispanic-Moroccan Socioeconomic Development (Fhimades).
At the event, which will take place starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Tryp Melilla Puerto hotel, two generals will also participate, Alfonso García Vaquero Pradal and Carlos Latorre Dardé and Vicente Garrido, the usual organizer of this type of conference.
The next day, October 25, the Ceuta and Medlilla Observatory will organize a round table under the title ‘Melilla: Economic alternatives for a better future?’.
The meeting Carlos Echeverría will moderate and will have the participation of Manuel Ángel Quevedopresident of the Port Authority of Melilla; Nayat Mohamed Maananpresident of the Activas Charter 100 Melilla Association; and Miguel Marinfirst vice president of the Government of Melilla. In this way, with the help of these guests, the round table will serve as a stage to raise the economic challenges of the city.
The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the associated center of the National University of Distance Education (UNED) in Melilla.