The 36th session of the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Committee convened on Wednesday in Cádiz to coordinate preparations for Operation Marhaba 2025, scheduled to run from June 15 to September 15.
The Moroccan delegation was led by Khalid Zerouali, Director of Migration and Border Surveillance at the Ministry of Interior, and included representatives from the Royal Gendarmerie, National Security, and Moroccan port authorities.
Both sides anticipate a 4% increase in the number of Moroccan travelers residing in Europe heading to North Africa, with a 5% rise in vehicle crossings compared to summer 2024.
To accommodate this growth, the maritime plan for this summer has scheduled 12,012 round-trip crossings—an 8.4% increase—linking southern Spanish ports to Moroccan ports.
Zerouali emphasized that Operation Marhaba is more than a holiday season movement—it reinforces the connection between the Moroccan diaspora and their homeland. He also highlighted logistical efforts to ease infrastructure pressure, including advance ticket reservations and close coordination with Spanish authorities. Moroccan customs and port services are also reinforcing operations to ensure smooth passenger and vehicle flows.
Over 25,000 personnel from Moroccan security forces, the Royal Gendarmerie, civil protection, Red Crescent volunteers, translators, and social workers will be mobilized to assist families at entry and reentry points.
Forecasts estimate over 3.44 million passengers and 847,000 vehicles will cross during Marhaba 2025, reflecting a noticeable increase from last year.
Spain’s acting Interior Minister, Susana Crisóstomo, emphasized the continued need for close coordination with Rabat to streamline movement and reduce waiting times. She praised the operation as “a model of effective cooperation between two sister nations,” crediting its success to constant communication and teamwork between both sides’ technical teams.
Crisóstomo also noted that Spain handles over 3 million travelers and approximately 800,000 vehicles each summer as part of the operation. She highlighted the strategic importance of the Cádiz region, which manages around 70% of this traffic, calling it a significant logistical challenge that requires collective effort.
Virginia Barcones, Spain’s Director General for Civil Protection and Emergencies, stressed that the primary objective of Marhaba 2025 is to “achieve the highest levels of fluidity and efficiency.” She urged travelers to purchase their ferry tickets in advance to reduce port congestion: “It’s very important for travelers to arrive at the port with a ticket already in hand, as it ensures a smooth and orderly journey with minimal waiting times.”
Operation Marhaba has been jointly organized by Morocco and Spain since 1986, and today stands as the largest summer cross-border movement of Moroccans in Europe—underscoring the strength of bilateral security and logistical cooperation.
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