Doha – Spain’s Ministry of Interior has approved the purchase of 20 video surveillance systems to be supplied to Morocco at a cost of €4.12 million, according to recent Spanish media reports.
The contract, signed by Secretary of State for Security Rafael Pérez on October 20, follows an agreement made by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in early August under international police cooperation protocols.
According to Spanish media outlets El Independiente and El Confidencial Digital, the procurement contract was awarded to Etel 88 S.A., a Madrid-based security firm specializing in surveillance technology, defense, and security sectors.
Each surveillance system is valued at €206,000, with the total contract amounting to €4,116,500.
The Interior Ministry explained that these systems are intended to “reinforce the material capabilities of police forces” and enhance cooperation in combating terrorism, human trafficking, organized crime, drug trafficking, and other forms of cross-border crime that pose threats to internal and international security.
The procurement falls under Spain’s Strategic Grants Plan for 2024-2026, which enables the country to acquire and provide equipment to partner nations with existing collaboration agreements.
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Etel 88, the contracted company, maintains extensive experience in commercializing and distributing products for aeronautical, defense, and security sectors, offering various surveillance technologies including thermal cameras, binoculars, night vision equipment, and coastal surveillance radars.
This latest agreement continues a pattern of security cooperation between the two nations.
Earlier this year in May, Abdellatif Hammouchi, head of Morocco’s police and intelligence services, visited Spain and met with key security officials, including National Police Director Francisco Pardo Piqueras and other senior commissioners.
For context, this procurement follows a larger pattern of Spanish security assistance to Morocco.
Last June, Spain provided Morocco with 188 border surveillance systems, including 65 thermal cameras with positioners, 98 portable thermal camera-viewers, and 25 night vision scopes, as part of the EU-funded program “Support for Border Management and Migration in Morocco.”
Unlike the previous June procurement which was EU-funded, the current €4.12 million video surveillance systems purchase is not funded by EU resources, according to the contract specifications.
