Morocco and Spain have strengthened their cooperation on the proposed fixed link across the Strait of Gibraltar by signing two new partnership agreements focused on digitalization and engineering studies. The agreements were signed Thursday in Madrid during a working visit by a Moroccan delegation led by Abdelkbir Zahoud, president of the National Company for the Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar (SNED). The visit included technical meetings between Moroccan and Spanish experts, chaired on the Spanish side by José Luis Goberna Caride, Executive Chairman of Spain's SECEGSA — the public body responsible for the fixed link project. The discussions centered on digitizing project documentation, establishing a future data management system, and advancing engineering studies for the potential undersea connection between the two countries. As part of the visit, a cooperation agreement was signed between Spain's Center for Studies and Experimentation in Public Works (CEDEX) and Morocco's Public Laboratory for Testing and Studies. The agreement covers joint research and technical studies in areas such as transportation infrastructure, geotechnics, railways, water resources, road safety, and environmental management. A second agreement was signed between the Polytechnic University of Madrid's School of Civil Engineering and Morocco's Hassania School of Public Works (EHTP). This partnership will support academic exchanges, joint research initiatives, and student internships, with a focus on strengthening technical and scientific collaboration on the Gibraltar project. The agreements are part of a broader exchange program between SNED and SECEGSA aimed at enhancing cross-border cooperation and aligning efforts among public institutions, engineering firms, universities, and research centers involved in the project. The initiative follows up on commitments made during the 43rd session of the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Committee on the Fixed Link, held in April 2023, where both sides reaffirmed their shared vision of developing a strategic transcontinental infrastructure.
