An agreement between Morocco and Spain today to renew cooperation on migration will likely see increased financial aid to beef up border security on the Moroccan side, responding to repeated alerts by Morocco’s security officials on the insufficient funding received from Europe to manage the toll of unlawful crossings.
In addition to European aid, Morocco spends up to 200 million euros to keep migrants from crossing into Europe, Morocco’s top migration chief Khalid Zerouali said in a previous interview with Hespress EN.
The Moroccan-Spanish Permanent Joint Migration Group meeting today in Rabat concluded in a joint press release that “Morocco and Spain both emphasized the particular importance of increased possibilities of financial support for Morocco under the new Multi-Annual Financial Framework of the European Union.”
Co-chaired by Moroccan Wali Director of Migration and Border Surveillance Khalid Zerouali, and Spanish Secretary of State for Migration Jesus Perea Cortijo, the meeting saw the participation of various Moroccan and Spanish officials, namely the Secretary of State for Security Rafael Pérez Ruiz, and Angeles Moreno Bau, Secretary of State for External and Global Affairs.
Both parties welcomed the resumption of their joint migration meetings, as today’s discussions “addressed the migration partnership in its entirety,” said a joint statement following the meeting.
In terms of operational cooperation, “the Spanish side expressed its appreciation for the extensive efforts made by the Moroccan authorities in the fight against illegal migration with tangible results.”
Faced with the shared challenges brought about by the action of migrant smuggling networks and the unstable regional environment, “the two parties decided to strengthen their coordination and information exchange mechanisms, notably through the renovation of joint work modalities at the level of Police Cooperation Centers, liaison officers and joint patrols,” continued the statement.
In the fight against criminal networks of migrant smuggling on the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean routes, the commissions agreed that “return is also an essential deterrent.”
Therefore, both parties have expressed their willingness to continue to provide agile and flexible responses to the challenges that underlie this area.
Concerning border management and its multiple challenges, Morocco and Spain both emphasized the particular importance of increased possibilities of financial support for Morocco under the new Multi-Annual Financial Framework of the European Union.
“Spain, as a Member State, will continue to emphasize the role of Morocco as a strategic partner of the European Union in all areas, including migration,” read the statement.
Regarding regular migration, both parties discussed the Moroccan-Spanish model for managing circular mobility and labor, which has a positive track record and is one of the most solid and successful examples recognized at the European and international level.
Morocco and Spain “are committed to continue working in this direction and to establish new paths where capacity building and reintegration are key elements, with the aim of strengthening the positive effects of migration both in our societies and for the migrants themselves.”
Furthermore, the parties emphasized their shared willingness to strengthen cooperation prospects in order to promote controlled legal flows, in coordination with all operators and stakeholders.
Both parties recalled the contribution of the Moroccan community in Spain to the post-Covid economic recovery as well as its plural contribution as a vector of cultural and civilizational rapprochement.
In addition, the Kingdoms expressed their commitment to working together to strengthen the integration of communities of nationals of both countries in Spain and Morocco.
Regarding the issue of unaccompanied minors, the Moroccan side recalled the Royal High Instructions for the repatriation of all Moroccan minors duly identified.
Both parties agreed to focus their approach on the best interests of the minor, particularly through prevention and protection.
Both parties reaffirm their commitment to regional cooperation on migration. In this regard, Morocco and Spain have vowed to strengthen dialogue and close coordination during their respective chairmanships of the Rabat Process in 2022 and 2023.
It was also agreed to convene the various ad-hoc joint sub-committees of the Migration Group in June 2022, to validate sectoral action plans.
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