Petition Challenges Google Maps Borders for Ceuta
A European Parliament committee is examining a petition over dotted-line borders shown for the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Geography
The European Parliament's Petitions Committee is examining a petition arguing that Google Maps' dotted-line depiction of the borders of Ceuta and Melilla suggests those boundaries are disputed. The petition asks the European Commission to assess whether this violates the Digital Services Act; no decision to fine the company has been made.
Why it matters
The petitioners argue that dotted lines imply Spanish cities' borders are in dispute, a question with political weight for Spain and the European Union. Spain's People's Party supports the demand for solid, internationally recognized borders.
The petition rests on Google's use of dotted grey lines, which the company applies to disputed and some provisional boundaries, while the source it used for Ceuta and Melilla remains unidentified. Whether the mapping breaches the Digital Services Act is still unresolved, and no fine has been decided.
The players
European Parliament Petitions Committee
The committee of the European Parliament that receives and examines citizen petitions on matters within the EU's areas of responsibility.
The American technology company that operates Google Maps, which displays the disputed boundary lines in question.
People's Party (Spain)
A center-right Spanish political party that supports the petition's demand for solid, internationally recognized borders.
The details
Google Maps shows dotted lines between Ceuta and Melilla and Morocco. The Ceuta and Melilla Observatory wrote to Google's Spanish office in 2023 asking for the depiction to change, and last September the European Parliament adopted a resolution describing both cities as Spanish and European.
Timeline
2023: Ceuta and Melilla Observatory requests that Google change the depiction.
Last September: European Parliament adopts resolution describing the cities as Spanish and European.
November 4, 2026: Petition reported as under examination by the Petitions Committee.
Geography Context
The petition asks whether Google's mapping of Ceuta and Melilla violates the Digital Services Act, placing a map-labeling dispute under the EU's platform regulation. It also follows the European Parliament's September resolution describing the two cities as Spanish and European.
Readers who use Google Maps to plan travel near Ceuta and Melilla may see dotted rather than solid borders on the map. Whether that display changes depends on the outcome of the Parliament committee's examination and any Commission assessment under the Digital Services Act.
The takeaway
Map labels can carry political meaning, and this petition shows how EU digital rules may be applied to how borders are drawn. Readers can watch the Petitions Committee's examination to see whether the depiction changes.
Further reading
Explore more on Geography for background on how disputed borders are represented on maps.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Yabiladi.
