It was approved by the Cortes Generales through Organic Law 1/1995 of March 13, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado the following day.
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 establishes in its Fifth Transitory Provision: The cities of Ceuta and Melilla may constitute autonomous communities if so decided by their respective town halls by agreement adopted by the absolute majority of its members and so authorized by the Cortes Generales, by an organic law, in the terms provided in Article 144.In turn, Article 144 establishes: The Cortes Generales, through an Organic Law, may, for reasons of national interest: 1.
Replace the initiative of the local Corporations referred to in section 2 of article 143.Since 1981, the recognition of autonomy had previously been sought on several occasions without reaching a consensus of the various political forces in its formulation,[1] what originated in the city the appearance of diverse protest platforms that urged the political class for its treatment,[1] which finally took place within the framework of the Autonomous Agreements between PP and PSOE of 1992.
The Moroccan government considers that Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the Plazas de Soberanía located on the North African coast, are occupied territory that must be reintegrated.
[2] Since 2005 there is a project to reform the statute, which among its main objectives has to be called finally an autonomous community and acquire greater powers, limited in its regime due to its special nature.