The Ministry of the Interior will shield this year the operation to cross the Strait (OPE) with more than 19,000 agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard, which represents 21.4% more than last year, when the operation was reactivated normally. operation after two years suspended: the first with the excuse of the coronavirus and the second due to the bad diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco. In 2022 there were 2,912,283 passengers and 695,487 vehicles that crossed the Strait between both continents.
The OPE, through which thousands of citizens of North African origin cross Spain to go and return to their countries of origin during the summer period, will take place from today until September 15, as usual in all editions previous.
This plan also sets the dates that are expected to be critical due to the massive influx of vehicles and passengers, both in the departure phase, between June 15 and August 15, and in the return phase, from July 15 to August 15. September. In this edition, the days marked as critical are June 24, 25, 26 and 27, dates prior to the feast of the Lamb, as well as July 29, 30 and 31 and August 1. August 29, 30, 31 and September 1 are expected to be the most difficult days.
During these days of increased traffic, it is expected that a series of special measures can be applied, such as the interchangeability of tickets, which help to expedite passenger boarding as much as possible.
Spain and Morocco have held numerous bilateral conversations and meetings in recent months between the technical teams involved in the design of OPE 2023. These preparations culminated on May 17 in Madrid with the meeting of the Spanish-Moroccan mixed commission, in the that the delegations chaired by the undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Isabel Goicoechea, and the director of Migration and Border Surveillance of Morocco, Khalid Zeruali, reiterated the commitment of both countries to strengthen coordination and the exchange of information.
The special plan also establishes a health care device, in which the Ministry of Health, the autonomous communities of Andalusia and the Valencian Community collaborate, as well as the Spanish Red Cross, and which will deal with any need arising from the high concentration of people and vehicles in the boarding areas, especially on critical dates with greater intensity of passage, according to Interior.
