A study by German engineering company Herrenknecht has confirmed that constructing a tunnel connecting Morocco and Spain is technically feasible, according to the Swiss daily Le Matin. The main challenges lie in navigating the Camarinal Ridge beneath the Strait of Gibraltar, but both the Moroccan and Spanish governments plan to make a decision on the project by summer 2027. If approved, it would become the first underground geotechnical structure linking Europe and Africa, a vision long considered a fantasy.
The idea of a fixed connection across the Strait of Gibraltar has circulated since the 19th century, around the same time plans for the Channel Tunnel between France and England were first drawn. While skeptics have dismissed the notion as unrealistic, proponents point out that the Channel Tunnel took nearly 150 years from conception to completion and spans roughly 30 kilometers—half the distance between Tangier and Tarifa—making the Gibraltar link technically plausible. King Hassan II of Morocco, father of the current monarch Mohammed VI, even presented preliminary plans for the tunnel during a 1978 visit to the White House, telling President Jimmy Carter that the project could serve as both a technical marvel and an inspiration for international cooperation.
Hassan II saw the tunnel as more than a symbolic connection. Strategically and economically, he believed it could secure the flow of raw materials from Africa to Europe, particularly during the Cold War, and reduce Europe’s dependence on the Suez Canal. His vision was supported by King Juan Carlos I of Spain, and joint companies were established on both sides of the Mediterranean before the United Nations examined the project in 1982. Decades later, the Union for the Mediterranean described the tunnel as a “missing link” in the Euro-Mediterranean transport corridor, which sees more than 300 ships cross the Strait daily, highlighting the potential impact on regional trade and mobility.
Although the final route has yet to be disclosed, preliminary plans suggest a tunnel reaching a depth of 475 meters and linking Tangier to Tarifa in just 30 minutes. Estimates place construction costs at around €9 billion, though past projects like the Channel Tunnel suggest expenses could escalate. Beyond Europe, the tunnel could enhance connectivity for Africa, reviving ideas dating back to the 1930s of direct rail transport from North Africa to Europe, and reinforcing Morocco’s vision of being a bridge between two continents.
