International relations professor Carlos Echeverría has warned that Spain needs a firmer state policy to counter ongoing Moroccan political pressure in Ceuta and Melilla.
Echeverría, director of the Observatorio de Ceuta y Melilla, said a migration crisis unfolding in Ceuta this summer reflects a deliberate strategy by Rabat to challenge Spanish sovereignty over its North African territories.
Speaking in an interview published by Spanish daily newspaper La Razón on August 16, 2026, he argued that Spanish political leaders must stop shaping foreign policy around avoiding conflict with Morocco.
Echeverría said King Felipe VI should visit Ceuta routinely and without complexes, noting that the monarch reigns within guidelines set by the Spanish government.
He noted that official royal visits to Ceuta and Melilla have remained an exception since King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía visited in 2007, an event followed days later by Morocco sending thousands of people to the border.
Echeverría highlighted smaller royal gestures, such as Princess Leonor disembarking from a naval training ship and Queen Sofía visiting the enclaves for the Food Bank charity.
He urged Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to travel to Ceuta regularly, just as he would visit domestic cities such as Barcelona, Seville, or La Coruña, rather than visiting only during periods of crisis.
Ceuta and Melilla are autonomous Spanish cities located on the northern coast of Africa, bordering Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea. Both territories have belonged to Spain for centuries, but Morocco has long maintained territorial claims over them, leading to periodic diplomatic and border tensions between Madrid and Rabat.
Moroccan Hybrid Warfare Strategy
Echeverría characterized Morocco's tactics as an established hybrid warfare strategy dating back decades to the Green March. He said Rabat uses civilian populations as political leverage in a state of affairs that is neither war nor peace.
Prior to the current crisis, a steady trickle of migrant arrivals occurred over several months. Echeverría noted that warnings of an impending escalation were ignored and that lessons from the 2021 migration crisis were not learned.
He criticized both the central Spanish government and the local government of Ceuta for failing to respond forcefully enough. He said Madrid continued praising exemplary bilateral relations while Rabat maintained territorial claims, encouraged drug trafficking, refused cooperation after tunnels were discovered in Ceuta, and blocked border customs.
Calculated Pressure and Responsibility
Echeverría rejected claims that the situation spiraled out of control for Moroccan authorities. He asserted that the migration push was a calculated strategy, with political responsibility resting directly with King Mohammed VI as the leader of Morocco's authoritarian regime.
He said the crisis resulted in about one hundred deaths and involved tens of thousands of people being utilized as political instruments, adding that Spain should denounce the actions in international forums.
Commenting on royal messaging, Echeverría said the scale of the national security threat required a deep political response. He noted that King Felipe VI's statements conveyed firmness and concern over the gravity of the situation.
European Union and NATO Concerns
On international support, Echeverría said Spain has failed to convince European partners that Ceuta and Melilla represent external borders of the European Union.
European partners remain concerned about Spain's massive migrant regularization process and its impact on the Schengen borderless zone. Echeverría added that Madrid should have requested aid from the EU border agency Frontex, as it did during the 2006 Atlantic cayuco crisis.
He argued that Morocco's strategic pressure on Spain's southern frontier is comparable to the security pressure Eastern European nations face from Russia or Belarus.
He noted that while Morocco presents itself as a wall against illegal migration and terrorism, it uses its own citizens for political pressure and accuses Spain of colonialism while occupying Western Sahara.
Regarding defense alliances, Echeverría referenced the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid, where Washington confirmed the alliance would defend every inch of member state territory, including Ceuta and Melilla. However, he urged Spain to actively lobby for its interests in Europe and the United States.
Economic Impact and Customs Blockade
Addressing border trade, Echeverría predicted that planned customs reopenings in Ceuta and Melilla would remain practically blocked by Moroccan restrictions, preventing normal commercial activity.
He pointed out an asymmetry where Spain facilitates Operation Crossing the Strait for hundreds of thousands of travelers each year, while residents of Ceuta cannot freely exercise cross-border movement rights.
Local concern in Ceuta remains high as thousands of migrants remain dispersed across the city's territory. He noted a discrepancy between migrant population estimates provided by the central government and local autonomous authorities.
Future Outlook and State Strategy
Echeverría stated that Morocco's ultimate goal is to create economic insecurity, making Ceuta and Melilla unattractive for private investment and causing residents to move families to the Spanish mainland.
To counter this, he called on Spain to increase state presence, invest in infrastructure, taxation, and logistics, and defend minor territories such as Spanish peñones and the Chafarinas Islands.
He dismissed hopes that joint hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup would deter Moroccan pressure, warning that Rabat will exploit any opportunity to pressure present and future Spanish governments.
Echeverría concluded that Spain must build a comprehensive state strategy across the Crown, central government, and regional authorities based on mutual respect and firm defense of all Spanish territories.
