Until recently, a 42-kilometer-long tunnel under the Mediterranean Sea was supposed to connect Morocco to Spain. However, the project has undergone a major change. The authorities of both countries have finally opted for the construction of a bridge between the city of Malabata, in the Bay of Tangier, and that of Punta Paloma, near Tarifa.

The Spanish Minister of Transport Raquel Sanchez revealed this decision on Friday, March 31. “The bridge represents a huge investment, but less important than the tunnel project. After careful consideration, it seems more reasonable but also more spectacular to build Eurafrica. You only have to imagine driving over it at sunset to understand our enthusiasm,” she said. The bridge will allow the transit of 15 million tons of goods and 17 million passengers per year in the medium term, which could contribute greatly to the economic development of the western Mediterranean. Spain is the first trading partner of Morocco, which exports a large part of its agricultural production to the European Union. But the Strait of Gibraltar, through which 100,000 ships pass every year, is already congested, which limits the transport of goods between the two countries.

Initially launched in 1979 by the late King Hassan II and his Spanish counterpart Juan Carlos I, the Mediterranean tunnel project aims to link Africa and Europe by train, passing under the Strait of Gibraltar. Two state-owned companies, one Moroccan (Sned) and the other Spanish (Secegsa), headed by a joint committee, were set up to study its feasibility, which has led to numerous drillings, studies, and tests over the past 40 years.

The first question to be settled was: a bridge or a tunnel? Fifteen years later, at the end of the 1990s, the idea of a suspension bridge was shelved because of its astronomical cost. The inauguration of the 50-kilometer-long Channel Tunnel in 1994 also weighed in the balance. Especially since the distance between the two continents at the level of the Strait is only 14 kilometers. However, the water is too deep at this point and the soil is too clayey. The construction project is shifted further west, between Cape Malabata in Tangier and Punta Paloma beach in Spain, for a distance of 38.7 kilometers, all at a maximum depth of 300 meters. This work considered one of the most ambitious in the world, would consist of two railway tunnels and a service and rescue gallery. Its cost is estimated at between 6 billion and 18 billion euros.

The project had stalled in recent years, due to budget cuts in Spain after the 2008 financial crisis, and a succession of diplomatic disputes between Madrid and Rabat. But relations have normalized following Spain’s support for Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan for the Sahara. The two countries have revived several bilateral issues. An envelope was released in the Spanish budget in 2023 to finance a new study “necessary” to “launch the construction process of the infrastructure. And the re-launch of the project was discussed at the bilateral summit on February 2 in Rabat.

Read Also: Morocco, Spain Relaunch Gibraltar Strait Tunnel Project

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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.

Read Also: Spanish FM: high-level meeting in Morocco was excellent,relations will only improve

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