A breath of fresh air for the northern economy
The visit of the Head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sanchez, to Morocco, his meeting and his talks with King Mohammed VI, made it possible to resolve many situations. Thus, after two years of closure having paralyzed an entire region, the reopening of the land borders of the two enclaves of Sebta and Melilla, has been announced.
This reopening of the two occupied presidencies, decided by the two partners, Morocco and Spain, will have a considerable impact on the economic situation of the northern region, which has been in agony during the two years of the pandemic.
For Driss Effina, the academic and president of the Independent Center for Strategic Analysis, this reopening of the two enclaves will not only benefit the northern region, but the whole of Morocco.
” This closure of the land borders with Sebta and Melilla was an opportunity for the northern region to rebalance its economy and correct it so that it no longer depends on everything that is contraband.“, observes the analyst.
Indeed, the northern region suffers greatly from contraband products. According to economist Driss Effina, Morocco has launched several projects in the northern region ” which will make it possible to breathe new life into the economy of the region and especially of the neighboring areas of Sebta and Melilla in order to give them the possibility, especially to citizens with limited income, of no longer depending on the activity of smuggling“.
In short, the economist believes that smuggling remains destructive for the economy of the region and also for the national economy.
» Morocco has embarked on major economic projects that will help rebalance the economies of both parties, that is to say, the Sebta area, which benefits from a number of tax advantages. And therefore, its products remain very low in terms of price and are popular with Moroccans, especially the inhabitants of this area, which gives Sebta’s products a certain attractiveness,“, explains the university.
But this attractiveness is rather pejorative, believes Driss Effina. ” This is not a real attraction because these products are not, most of the time, of European origin. These are products that generally come from China, Turkey and other countries when we think it’s European“, observes the economist.
But it is China that wins out over all the other products, says Effina.
” Most of the products sold in Sebta and Melilla are neither European nor Spanish. It comes from other countries, especially China and the Asian countries which are in the context of pure and simple fiscal dumping which does not favor the development of these areas and which leaves them dependent on smuggling.“, he says.
But overall, Driss Effina believes that the decision to reopen the land borders with Sebta and Melilia will certainly have a positive impact on the economic activity of the region, in particular Tetouan and Fnideq. ” The goal today is for the economies of these areas to be economic ropes and real activities for the stakeholders.“, he concludes.
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