A new entry/exit system will be implemented by the Spanish government at the Moroccan border crossing at Ceuta, in a move that aims to further control the mobility in Europe’s only land borders with Africa.
a new control system at the Ceuta border to prevent the movement of people who violate entry regulations and stay longer than is permitted, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.
The decision comes amid NGO concerns for the hundreds of workers who are now obliged to return to border towns Tetouan and Nador after a full workday in the Spanish enclaves. Many lost jobs and others refuse to return to Morocco in fear of being unable to return.
The implementation of the automated entry/exit system is expected to begin within a few days, after it was green-lit by Spanish Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez Ruiz, after a meeting he held on September 12 with the Ceuta Government Delegate, Salvadora Mateos.
Authorities plan to install technical equipment able to track the entry and exit of third-country nationals who cross the external borders of Spain.
Borders to the enclaves had remained closed for two years, first due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then due to the diplomatic differences between both countries. The closure led to much economic hardship for the enclaves’ citizens and cross-border Moroccan workers until they were allowed to reopen in May 2022.
The authorities reported that 3,268 individuals and 840 vehicles only crossed the border into Morocco on the first day of its reopening. The authorities added that an additional 1,580 people and 504 vehicles crossed the border into Spain.
Several had been turned away because they did not meet the health requirements that were in force at the time.
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