European Parliament Committee Maintains Petition Against Google Maps Over Ceuta and Melilla Borders
The European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions decided to keep open a formal complaint examining whether Google Maps violates European Union regulations by depicting the borders of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco using dashed lines. The parliamentary committee’s coordinators agreed last week to continue processing petition 2284/2026, which questions the cartographic representation used by the digital platform for the two Spanish autonomous cities.
Google Maps applies dashed lines to identify territorial borders where involved parties do not agree on the demarcation. The petition argues that this symbology incorrectly designates Ceuta and Melilla as disputed territories, potentially transmitting erroneous geographic information to millions of users regarding the external borders of Spain and the European Union. Neither city has ever appeared on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories pending decolonization, and no United Nations General Assembly or Security Council resolutions challenge Spanish sovereignty over the enclaves.
Brussels Reviews Mapping Practices for DSA Violations
The ongoing parliamentary review asks Brussels to investigate whether the platform’s mapping practices breach the Digital Services Regulation (DSA). The regulation requires very large online platforms to identify and mitigate systemic risks related to disinformation and public security. Under the rules, serious and intentional violations carry penalties of up to 6% of a company’s annual global turnover. For Alphabet, Google’s parent company, that maximum penalty would equal approximately $24 billion, though authorities have not imposed any fines.
Why is Google pandering to Morocco and displays the border between Ceuta/Melilla and Morocco using a dashed line to signal a disputed status? pic.twitter.com/KyyLG0kDUK
The scrutiny follows a mass border assault on July 30 and 31, 2026, which the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, described as the city’s largest security crisis since the Transition. Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta dates to 1640, and Melilla’s dates to 1497. Legal experts note that this authority rests on international law and treaties signed with pre-state Moroccan sultans from the eighteenth century onward.
Demands for Ultraperipheral Status and Regional Integration
In the same session, the Committee on Petitions agreed to advance a separate dossier, petition 1448/2025, which requests that Ceuta and Melilla receive a special status equivalent to European Union outermost regions. Supported by the People’s Party in the European Parliament, the initiative examines including both cities under the framework of article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union or creating a specific statute based on article 174. The formal request highlights structural difficulties stemming from geographic isolation on the African continent, limited transport networks, and intense migration pressures.
The proposal urges European institutions to strengthen funding access, territorial cohesion, energy transition support, and migration management programs for the two enclaves. It also calls for a dedicated coordination unit within the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, alongside increased Frontex involvement in border surveillance alongside Spanish authorities. The continued processing of both petitions keeps European oversight active on digital cartography standards and structural community funding for Spain’s African enclaves.
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