Spain was the former colonial power in Western Sahara, and its withdrawal in 1975 led to a territorial dispute between Morocco and the Sahrawi independence movement, the Polisario Front. Spain has maintained a neutral stance on the issue, but its relations with Morocco have occasionally been strained due to disagreements over Western Sahara.
This is unlike the previous major crisis between Spain and Morocco – “Perejil” in 2002 – which took place within a very different regulatory framework and with no EU competences involved. No solution lies in taking refuge in the fact that the Western Sahara is a UN issue or on securing an umpteenth special envoy.
A fixed crossing means a tunnel or bridge between Spain and Morocco at the narrowest point of the Mediterranean — the 15-mile-wide Strait of Gibraltar. Why is the Strait of Gibraltar so important? The Strait of Gibraltar is the only natural link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and is one of the busiest waterways in the world.
At the bus station you must take a cab to the border. It will cost you between 10 and 30 dirhams (£0.75-£2.25, €1-€3, USD1.20-3.60) depending on your haggling skills, and it’s only a 5-minute drive. On the Moroccan side of the border you will see four windows on your left, some for locals, others for foreigners.
Amidst an ongoing diplomatic row between Morocco and Spain, Ceuta, one of the two Spanish enclaves on the Northern coast of Africa, saw a dramatic influx of migrants from Morocco. An unprecedented surge of thousands of unauthorised migrants crossed the border from Morocco to Ceuta in less than 48 hours.
The sudden arrival of migrants has created a humanitarian emergency in Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city of 80,000 residents off the tip of Morocco and just some 18 miles from Spain’s mainland
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is there a bridge between spain and morocco
