The majority of applicants come from war zones in Iraq and Syria, getting to Morocco after a long trip across the continent, but in recent months there has been a surge in Moroccan applicants from Alhucemas, the Moroccan city at the epicenter of upheavals in the Rif region, about 100km from Melilla.

Morocco demands `clear signal' from EU on future relations

The department Ajanuch heads on Tuesday (7 February) issued a statement in which it warned of the "serious consequences" that will arise from "obstacles" the EU puts in the way of the agricultural agreement signed in 2012. The agreement was partly annulled by a court in December 2015, for including Western Sahara, but the European Court of Justice overturned the ruling last December.

Beyond the preamble to the judgement, which distinguished between Morocco and Western Sahara, "there is now a very clear verdict initiating the agreement". Morocco will now "not accept others trying to apply their own interpretations. [...] The EU's attitude is confusing," the minister added.