Sanchez Reaffirms in Brussels Spain's Commitment to Good Relations With Morocco After the Royal Visit to Ceuta and Melilla

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reaffirmed on Thursday, October 15, during a European Council summit in Brussels, Spain's commitment to maintaining good neighborly relations with Morocco. The remarks came just days after King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited Ceuta and Melilla, the first royal visit to the two territories since 2007.

Sanchez used his remarks in Brussels to thank European governments for their solidarity during July's migration crisis in Ceuta, and he gave updated figures on the return of the migrants who crossed from Morocco at the time. According to the prime minister, more than 12,000 people have returned voluntarily since August 10, with over 2,500 of those returns happening in October alone, a notably faster pace than in the first months after the crisis.

Sanchez argued that effective migration management requires combining border controls with cooperation with countries of origin and transit, and warned against cutting European funding for cooperation programs with African and Latin American nations, saying such cuts would end up directly affecting Spain.

In his remarks, Sanchez also called for joint European Union financing to strengthen climate resilience and energy security, and urged a constructive approach from the bloc toward major powers such as China on trade imbalances.

No official reaction from Morocco to Sanchez's remarks was reported. The statements cap a week marked by the royal visit to Ceuta and Melilla and by increasingly visible progress in returning the migrants who entered the autonomous city over the summer.