Smuggling costs Morocco 450,000 jobs, says minister

The marketing in Morocco of Spanish products worth 1.5 billion Euros, smuggled into the country mainly from the two Spanish enclaves, Sebta and Melillia, is costing the kingdom 450,000 jobs and hampers the normal social and economic development, said, in Madrid Tuesday, visiting Moroccan minister of economic and general affairs, Abderrazak El Mossadeq.

For every smuggler, 10 peoples are loosing a job in Morocco, the minister who was addressing a press conference, said. He also called for a «clear-cut» struggle by Morocco and Spain against this phenomenon, the minister urged multinational companies to cease their activities in these two Moroccan towns still under Spanish rule.

He recalled that Morocco had always urged the European Union to fight drug trafficking, money laundering, financing of terrorism and contraband.

El Mossadeq, who is leading a delegation of Moroccan businessmen, started this Tuesday a four-day visit to Spain where he is due to meet officials from the public and private sectors.

A total of 996 Spanish private companies are set up in Morocco where Spain is the fifth largest foreign investor with 5.034 billion dirham (531 million dollars), behind France, Portugal, the United States and the Netherlands.