Morocco, Spain Relaunch Gibraltar Strait Tunnel Project

According to the Spanish publication La Razon, Spain and Morocco are moving forward with plans to build the 40-kilometer tunnel that will connect the two nations beneath the Strait of Gibraltar.

Raquel Sanchez, Spain’s minister of transport, was quoted in the article as saying that the two nations would speed up the project’s studies, which have been in the works since 1979.

The project, according to Sanchez, is “strategic” for all of Europe and Africa, not just for Spain and Morocco.

During a meeting between Sanchez and his Moroccan counterpart Nizar Baraka, the project is said to have been revived. The two met while attending a recent high-level meeting between the two nations, and they revived the project’s studies.

Plans for the tunnel were first laid out in 1979 after the joint declaration between Spain and Morocco was signed.

The project kept getting put on hold due to various diplomatic issues between the two countries, despite receiving ample funding from organizations like the World Bank, European Investment Bank, and African Development Fund.

However, the project appears to have been revived in light of the recently improved diplomatic relations.

Spain supported Morocco’s Autonomy Plan in March 2022 in response to Morocco’s stance on the Sahara dispute, and the two nations have since worked to strengthen their partnership.

Last week, high-ranking representatives from both countries, including the heads of government, gathered in Rabat. During the meeting, 19 bilateral cooperation agreements were signed.

If the tunnel project is approved, both parties stand to gain from more efficient use of the storage and transportation infrastructures, as well as lower costs for shipments between the two nations and for travel.

According to La Razon, Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch stated that the project offers chances to “build the future” and that he hopes it “will bring about a real revolution at several levels” between the two nations.

As a gateway for European nations and investors into the rest of Africa, Morocco, it can also strengthen ties between Europe and Africa.

Although it is unclear what kind of impact it might have on the project’s cost and anticipated start date, the depth of the Strait of Gibraltar and its wind and wave patterns are expected to make construction of the tunnel challenging.

Construction on the project was scheduled to start in 2030 as of October 2022.

Nevertheless, studies and experts maintain that the tunnel is still “feasible,” and with stronger ties between the two nations and the potential for increased trade, it could be one of the biggest projects in their future.

La Razon further stated that due to their increased cooperation with Morocco, the UK, which governs Gibraltar, wants a tunnel to connect the city to that country.

Through the project, Morocco hopes to increase the number of British visitors and investors as well as find a new outlet for marketing its goods, particularly agricultural ones, to the British market.

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