Relationship dossier
Morocco
Spain
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation alongside recurring disputes over Western Sahara, enclaves and migration
Morocco toward Spain
+20Morocco has cooperated with Spain on migration management and security, including efforts to control irregular crossings. In 2021, Morocco’s handling of the border episode involving Ceuta coincided with a major diplomatic crisis. High-level engagement resumed after Spain shifted its position on Western Sahara in 2022.
Spain toward Morocco
+25Spain cooperates with Morocco on migration management and security. In 2022, the Spanish government backed Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara as a basis for resolving the dispute, and the two governments adopted a joint declaration to renew bilateral relations. Spain’s position remains contentious in the wider Western Sahara dispute.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship combines durable practical cooperation on migration, security and economic affairs with recurring political friction. Spain’s 2022 shift on Western Sahara and renewed high-level engagement strengthened bilateral ties, while the status of Western Sahara and Spain’s North African enclaves remain unresolved sources of tension.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Morocco and Spain maintain substantial practical cooperation, particularly on migration management, security and economic ties. Relations have also been shaped by recurring disputes over Western Sahara, Spain’s North African enclaves and migration. Spain’s 2022 shift in support toward Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara helped restore high-level engagement after a serious diplomatic crisis, but did not remove underlying disagreements.
Areas of tension
- Western Sahara’s status and Spain’s support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal
- Morocco’s claims concerning Ceuta and Melilla
- Irregular migration and border management, including the 2021 Ceuta crisis
Key developments
Spain’s hosting of Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali for medical treatment contributed to a diplomatic crisis with Morocco.
A large number of people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco amid a serious bilateral crisis.
Spain’s prime minister visited Morocco, and the governments issued a joint declaration renewing bilateral relations after Spain backed Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and longer-term effects of the 2022 bilateral commitments are unclear.
- The scope of ongoing cooperation on migration and security is not fully clear.