US Congress Calls Ceuta and Melilla Moroccan Territories Under Spanish Administration. A report published in the US Congress refers to Ceuta and Melilla as Moroccan territories under Spanish administration. The document calls for diplomatic negotiations between Madrid and Rabat regarding the future status of the cities.
A debate erupted in Washington over the status of Ceuta and Melilla following the publication of a report by the US House Appropriations Committee. In an annex to the draft budget for national security and the State Department, for the first time at the official level, both Spanish autonomous cities are referred to as "Moroccan territory administered by Spain." According to El Confidencial, this clause was not included in the bill itself, but appears in the explanatory note to the document.
The document emphasizes that Ceuta and Melilla remain the subject of longstanding territorial claims by Morocco. The Committee supported the efforts of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to promote diplomatic dialogue between Madrid and Rabat regarding the future status of the cities. The report was authored by Republican Mario Diaz-Balart and his colleagues, who presented it on April 30. A final decision on the bill has yet to be made: a vote in the House of Representatives, then consideration in the Senate, and, if approved, a signature in the White House, all remain ahead.
The position taken by the American committee has drawn significant attention in Spanish and Moroccan media. According to Le Desk, after Morocco was allocated $40 million in military and security aid, the report describes Ceuta and Melilla as territories under the temporary administrative custody of Spain rather than under its sovereignty. The mention of the "future status" of the cities is interpreted as a hint at possible negotiations similar to the Kosovo scenario.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, commenting on the situation, stated that the belonging of Ceuta and Melilla to Spain is beyond doubt, comparing their status to that of Valladolid and Santiago de Compostela. He made these remarks at the Vatican after meeting with Pope Leo XIV. Meanwhile, attention to the issue of Ceuta and Melilla has grown amid other major events in the regions, for example, with the recent indefinite strike of municipal workers in Girona, which was thoroughly covered in the article about the impact on city services during the Temps de Flors festival.
For the first time at such a high level in the United States, Ceuta and Melilla have been called disputed territories, which could affect diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco. The issue of the cities’ status remains unresolved and requires further discussion on the international stage.
