El futuro de la Operación Paso del Estrecho está en el aire

The coronavirus pandemic, which left more than 400,000 dead and seven million infected worldwide, has also changed the dynamics of migratory flows across the globe. This year, the Spanish Government is facing an Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE) - a plan that is carried out every year between 15 June and 15 September to facilitate the travel of thousands of Maghrebi citizens living in Europe who visit their countries of origin in Africa - that is quite uncertain. The President of the Andalusian Government, Juan Manuel Moreno, has asked the Chief Executive, Pedro Sánchez, not to approve this operation that would allow more than three million Maghrebi to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to join their families in their places of origin.

The largest regular international migration operation in Europe should begin on 15 June. However, the dimensions that the COVID-19 pandemic has reached, which in Spain has caused the death of more than 27,000 people, have alarmed the Andalusian government. The leader of the PP in this region considers that, at the moment, the circumstances to carry out the controls are not "ideal" and has urged Sánchez to, in the case of continuing with this operation, do it in an orderly, planned way and applying the maximum security measures.

This system of organised management of cross-border travel, considered to be the second largest after that of the pilgrimage to Mecca, originated in the early 1980s, after a large number of North Africans living in different parts of Europe such as Spain, France and Belgium tried to take advantage of the holiday period to join their families. This migratory event that was repeated every year was the spark that lit the fuse for the creation of a collaborative relationship between Morocco and the Alaouite kingdom to organize this flow of people that every year exceeds three million.  Until then, every time the holidays arrived, Algeciras found itself on the edge of the abyss, as thousands and thousands of vehicles lined up to embark. 

This operation is part of a special Civil Protection plan launched by the Ministry of the Interior. According to the Spanish security forces, the aim of this plan is "to prevent risk situations and to deal with the contingencies involved in any mass movement of people", as well as "to make the transit of Maghrebi citizens through the peninsula comfortable, fluid and safe". The fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic has led the president of the PP in Andalusia to show his concern to the government of Sanchez about the possible start of the OPE.  For the time being, the Kingdom of Morocco has not made any statement on when it will open its borders, so the future of this operation is still uncertain. 

In a meeting with the presidents of the autonomous communities to address the new measures in the context of the pandemic, Pedro Sanchez said that as far as the OPE is concerned, the Executive is working "in the event that it occurs". Previously, Moreno had been in favor of not conducting Operation Crossing the Strait this year "because the circumstances are not ideal" by the coronavirus pandemic. Likewise, the leader of the Andalusian Executive has asked for a protocol of action that includes spaces to be able to test for this pathogen on migrants arriving on Andalusian coasts.  More than three million people cross to their countries of origin every year thanks to the OPE, of which 80% do so through the Port of Algeciras (Cadiz), an issue that generates fear in Moreno because of "the coming and going", given the impact of this epidemic throughout the planet. 

For his part, the vice president of the Andalusian government and Minister of Tourism, Juan Marin, has criticized the actions of the central government to consider that they are "draining the bundle" by not seeing the real problems involved in implementing the OPE. In an interview with Onda Cero, Marín has asked for "prudence and not improvisation". For the moment, the port of Algeciras maintains its operations for goods in order to contribute to the functioning of the supply chain, although the passenger shipping lines Algeciras-Tangier Med-Algeciras, Algeciras-Ceuta-Algeciras and Tarifa-Tangier City-Tarifa are suspended, according to data issued by the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), which manages the ports of Algeciras Bay and Tarifa.

The suspension of this plan would prevent more than three million people from spending their holidays with their families in Africa, at a time when tourism is an essential sector for reviving the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. In 2019, a total of 3.34 million people and 760,215 vehicles crossed the Strait between the departure and return phases thanks to this operation, 3% more than in 2018. On the other hand, the uncertainty caused by the de-escalation process means that Maghreb residents in Spain and other parts of Europe are still not clear about whether they will be able to travel back to their country.