Madrid, Rabat Start New Stage in Revival of Strait of Gibraltar Fixed Link Project – Spanish Minister –

Spain and Morocco have started a new stage in the revival of the project of fixed link of the Strait of Gibraltar, said the Spanish Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, Raquel Sanchez. “We are entering a new stage in the revival of the project of fixed link through the Strait of Gibraltar, which we began in 1981 with our two companies, Secegsa and the Moroccan National Society of Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar (SNED), noted Raquel Sanchez who co-chaired, Monday, with Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, the 43rd meeting of the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Committee of fixed link project of the Strait of Gibraltar, held by telematics means. “The fact that after fourteen years, since October 2009 in Tangier, we give impetus to the studies of a project of the greatest geostrategic importance for our countries and for relations between Europe and Africa has an important political significance,” said the Spanish minister, quoted in a statement by his department, issued Tuesday. The meetings of the joint committee were convened following the high-level meeting held in Rabat between Spain and Morocco on 1 and 2 February, during which “both countries reaffirmed their agreement to promote the studies of the fixed link project”, noted the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda. In this sense, the committee meeting validated the actions carried out jointly by the Spanish company in charge of studies, Secegsa, and its Moroccan counterpart, SNED, since 2009. Under the conclusions of the joint committee, ”both parties encourage the visibility of the project and agreed to address the development of a comprehensive strategy and work plan for the next three years, which could include, among other things, the analysis of the feasibility of the construction of a reconnaissance gallery to identify the geomechanical characteristics”, the same source stressed. The meeting also coincides with the reactivation of the Secegsa, after several years without significant budgetary allocation, and the commissioning of studies to analyze the feasibility of the intercontinental fixed link for telecommunications and energy transport, said the ministry. In this regard, the Plan for recovery, transformation and resilience (PRTR), adopted by the Spanish government, includes 2.3 million euros of European funds to update the studies related to the project, recalled the same source.