ARCHIVED - Spain considers including Ceuta and Melilla in Schengen area in midst of political tension
If the Spanish autonomous cities in Northern Africa are included in Schengen, Moroccans will need visas to enter them.
The Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union, Juan González-Barba, said on Thursday during a visit to Ceuta that the Government is thinking of cancelling the special regime regarding Ceuta and Melilla that was drawn up when Spain entered the Schengen agreement. The move would mean that Moroccans from the neighbouring regions of Tetouan and Nador would need visas to enter the cities and would place European border controls at the Moroccan border, rather than in the ports where they are now.
The reasoning is that the change, that Ceuta leader Juan Vivas had been requesting for a year now, would reduce migratory pressure and its impact on certain services such as protection of minors, public health, education and the port. It would also give Spain, rather than Morocco, the power to decide who enters the city.
The news comes at a time when diplomatic relations between the two countries are terse, to say the least.
There have been various disagreements in recent months, which are believed to have led to the migrant crisis last month when around 10,000 Moroccans swam into Ceuta or climbed over the fence as the authorities on the other side were accused of turning a blind eye. Nine out of ten of the migrants have now been sent back to Morocco, but some have requested asylum while others are thought to still be hiding somewhere in the city.
Image: Interior Minstry. Taken during the mass crossing of approximately 10,000 Moroccan nationals into Ceuta.