The Spanish government sent a note verbale to Morocco to convey its complaint to Rabat for referring to Ceuta and Melilla as Moroccan cities in a document it sent to Brussels. The letter, in which Madrid "categorically" rejects the language used to refer to these two Spanish cities and recalls that their borders are internationally recognized, comes after Morocco sent, in turn, a verbal note of protest for statements by the vice president of the European Commission.
These two cities, located on the northern coast of Morocco, are the only land borders of the EU on the African continent and very sensitive points at the migratory level.