Ceuta and Melilla have starred in one of the latest episodes of the Brussels Playbook Podcast, the political analysis space of POLITICO Europe, after its hosts analyzed the role of the two autonomous cities in the current geopolitical context between Spain, Morocco, NATO, and the United States. However, the content has gone beyond strategic debate and has ended up generating controversy due to the terminology used to refer to both territories.
During the conversation, journalists Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton pose a hypothetical scenario in which Morocco attempts to take over Ceuta and Melilla and wonder who would actually come to Spain's aid. In that context, they describe both cities as "Spanish colonial holdings" ("posesiones coloniales españolas"), although a few seconds later they literally state that "they are fully integrated parts of Spain" and that "they are unequivocally Spanish". This apparent contradiction in the discourse has provoked a wave of critical comments from some listeners.
A debate about NATO that ends up opening another about the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla
The podcast block begins by analyzing the status of Ceuta and Melilla and NATO's defense commitment. The hosts recall that the Atlantic Alliance confirmed in 2024 that both cities are covered by Article 5, the collective defense clause that provides for the joint response of allies in the event of an attack.
However, the analysis immediately introduces a doubt about the practical application of that commitment. The journalists wonder if European allies would really be willing to confront a Morocco backed by the United States in a scenario of maximum tension, a reflection they place in the context of Spain's current international relations.
Throughout the conversation, they also maintain that Pedro Sánchez's Government faces several open diplomatic fronts, citing differences with some European partners on migration issues, policy towards China, recognition of the Palestinian state, or the debate on Spanish defense spending.
The expression "colonial holdings" is the focus of criticism
The moment that has generated the most controversy arrives when one of the participants poses the following question: "Are European countries going to confront a Morocco backed by Washington to protect Spanish colonial holdings?". The use of the expression "Spanish colonial holdings" has been the element that has provoked the most reactions among the podcast's followers.
The controversy increases because, just a few seconds earlier, the journalists themselves had recalled that Ceuta has belonged to Spain since 1668 and Melilla since 1497, in addition to expressly stating that both cities "are fully integrated into Spain" and that "they are unequivocally Spanish".
This combination of messages has led numerous users to question the episode's approach and to consider the use of the term "colonial holdings" incompatible with the explicit recognition of Spanish sovereignty over both territories.
The Green March, the Sahara, and the role of the United States
During the analysis, the podcast establishes a parallelism with the Green March of 1975, when Morocco mobilized hundreds of thousands of people towards what was then Spanish Sahara. The presenters recall that the territory continues to be a subject of dispute and mention the support shown by the Donald Trump Administration for the Moroccan position on Western Sahara.
The episode also refers to the American congressman Mario Díaz-Balart, to whom it attributes statements in which he would question the belonging of Ceuta and Melilla to Spain, as well as the presentation of a report in the United States Congress with similar arguments. All of this is presented as part of the international context that, according to the podcast, explains the existing concern in Madrid regarding the two autonomous cities.
The debate concludes with the assertion of one of the participants that "there are reasons to be worried in Madrid", although another of the journalists responds by expressing her doubts about that assessment.
Part of the audience accuses POLITICO of reproducing the Moroccan narrative
The reactions did not take long to appear after the publication of the episode. One of the most prominent comments directly accuses POLITICO of disseminating "Moroccan propaganda about Ceuta and Melilla" by labeling them as colonies.
The same user recalls that Ceuta and Melilla do not appear on the list of non-self-governing territories of the United Nations, used by the UN for decolonization processes, and invites the media to consult that documentation before using that terminology.
Beyond the political debate, the controversy highlights the sensitivity that still surrounds any reference to the status of Ceuta and Melilla. In this case, it has not been the hypothesis of a potential crisis with Morocco that has focused the discussion, but the simultaneous use of two concepts that many listeners find difficult to reconcile: defining both cities as "colonial possessions" and, at the same time, asserting that they are "unequivocally Spanish".