Rabat – Spain’s King Felipe VI continues to use his indifferent approach to the Ceuta migration crisis, especially amid the challenges locals have been experiencing beyond irregular migration, including unemployment.
The Spanish monarch spent the night in Ceuta during a rare and controversial visit that came a few months after the mass crossings into Ceuta in July. The crisis sparked frustration among locals, who have been grappling with other challenges beyond irregular migration.
The occupied city has been facing several persistent challenges, with unemployment hovering well above 20% to 25%.
Ceuta’s economy has long relied on cross-border trade with Morocco, which has been a key market for local businesses.
The closure of the informal trade route, which allowed goods to enter Morocco without formal customs clearance, dealt a serious blow to commercial activity in the enclave and affected livelihoods on both sides of the border.
Aware of these challenges, Ceuta locals have been calling on the central government to intervene. It has now been up to King Felipe to show that his country is “acting,” or at least pretend that it is, namely by weaponizing the irregular migration crisis of July to show how much he cares about the occupied city.
During his visit to Ceuta with Queen Letizia, King Felipe again used the “microphone” principle to show his commitment to locals in the enclave.
He addressed residents in his speech, saying that Morocco’s relationship with Spain and the EU must be “grounded in respect.”
This relationship must also adhere to the principle that “Ceuta is Spain; Ceuta is Europe,” he said, claiming: “Ceuta and Melilla are an inalienable part of the political and national reality that is Spain. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country are not negotiable.”
The remarks echo the position of the far right and others who emphasize “territorial integrity” over the two cities, which are geographically located in Africa and overlook Morocco, with its historical ties to and claims over the two regions.
The controversial royal visit and comments come after Moroccans have long called on their government to launch negotiations with Madrid to reclaim the occupied cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Meanwhile, the Spanish government and media appear to be ironically frustrated by Morocco’s ongoing silence over King Felipe’s visit, despite reports emphasizing that the trip would not have been possible without Rabat’s approval.
Spain’s Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, commented on diplomatic relations with Morocco on Tuesday, in an apparent move to show that relations remain “normal.” Ties and contact with Rabat remain fluid, Saiz stressed. But is this the case for Rabat? Spanish news agency EFE, despite Saiz’s reassurances, reiterated frustration over Rabat’s silence regarding King Felipe’s controversial visit.
“Rabat maintained official silence on Tuesday regarding the visit of the King and Queen of Spain to the North African Spanish city of Ceuta, after signaling diplomatic distancing with the absence of ministers and high-level officials at the National Day reception held at the Spanish Embassy,” the Spanish news agency said.
King Felipe now is in Melilla as part of his controversial tour that might have already created some sort of commotion at the highest echelons of Moroccan diplomacy. But the question now is whether Rabat, which has historically preferred behind-the-scenes and patient diplomacy when it comes to Madrid, will make any public pronouncements on this controversial royal tour.
