The first commercial shipment from Melilla enters Morocco
Following confirmation of the opening of customs between Melilla and Morocco, closed since 2018, the first passage of a lorry carrying 600 kilos of household appliances and air conditioners has been successfully completed, marking the end of the unilateral trade closure.
The truck arrived on 15 January at the Moroccan port of Beni-Enzar after receiving the relevant approvals from the Spanish authorities. That same day, in the early afternoon, and under the supervision of the government delegate in Melilla, Sabrina Moh, the truck completed all customs formalities and was on its way to unload the goods.
Unlike the shipment that was attempted on 8 January, this time only the customs duties for entry into Morocco had to be paid, as required by the regulations. On that occasion, the Alawi authorities informed the exporter that, according to Moroccan regulations, the only vehicles that can cross the border are closed-box trucks.
After making the necessary changes to the documentation, the vehicle was escorted by the National Police to the port of Beni-Eznar and then by the Moroccan police until it finally passed the inspection phase, and the lorry was able to continue on its way to Nador. Juan Francisco Pérez Quiles, owner of the export company Agencia Quiles, confirmed the success of the operation.
‘First step towards a normalised customs’
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, who was in Beirut as the first stop on his Middle East tour this week, told journalists that what happened at customs shows that relations between Spain and Morocco are at ‘their best’, adding that this is the case ‘at all levels’.
For Albares, the passage ‘shows Morocco's commitment to Spain and Spain's commitment to Morocco’, which means that ‘at all levels’ both countries are experiencing ‘the best moment in their bilateral relationship’. The minister added that this will be the step prior to normalisation at Ceuta customs, where ‘the roadmap will also be followed’. Only one vehicle per day will be able to pass through in this first phase between 10:00 and 16:00 hours.
However, Albares advocated caution in order to consolidate the process of reopening customs, a process that ‘is beginning to consolidate’. Finally, the minister asked to wait for ‘official announcements’. The aim is to establish an orderly and regulated customs system after the informal and irregular activity of recent years.
The resumption of Melilla's commercial customs, closed since August 2018, is situated in the agreement reached at the High Level Meeting (HLM) between Spain and Morocco in April 2022, where both countries agreed on the ‘complete normalisation of the movement of people and goods’.
When will the second step take place?
The Government delegate, Sabrina Moh, will explain on 24 January to the members of the Confederation of Employers (CEME-CEOE) the procedures that will be followed at the commercial customs after the acceptance, last Wednesday, of the first load from Melilla by Morocco.
This was confirmed by the president of the employers' association, Enrique Alcoba, who indicated that Moh had contacted him by telephone to inform him of the resumption of trade and to summon him to the meeting, which was scheduled for 11 am. Alcoba mentioned that this meeting will allow the businessmen to know the trucks that will pass through, the schedules they will have, the sectors that can export, which is what worries us most.