Spain, Morocco increase efforts against irregular migration

The Spanish government said it is committed to addressing irregular migration through cooperation with countries of origin and transit, including Morocco in a response to a written question submitted by parliamentary deputies from the parliamentary group of the Popular Party in the Spanish Parliament.

“Spain aims to curb irregular migration by collaborating with African partners to combat human trafficking and smuggling networks,” emphasized the Spanish government, noting that “migration pressure originates from underlying economic and social issues in Africa” when discussing migration flows from Morocco.

The same source explained that other factors have emerged contributing to the growth of irregular migrant flows in recent years. These factors have had a twofold impact on the preventive capacity of Spain’s partners in this regard and have also contributed to the strain on the European Union in the same context.

“Spain views cooperation with origin and transit countries as crucial for curbing illegal migration,” reads the response to the written questions.

It pointed out that the modalities and means of bilateral cooperation with Morocco in this regard have become clear in recent months. This clarity emerged in light of the recent visits of both the Minister of the Interior and the Prime Minister to the Kingdom, reinforcing this cooperation with a set of different measures.

Among these measures, Spain mentioned continued information exchange regarding combating human trafficking networks, joint patrols between Spanish and Moroccan security forces, as well as the presence of joint coordination centers between the security authorities of both countries in Tangier and the Algeciras.

It highlighted further the continuation of high-level coordination meetings between the two countries, including regular meetings of the Spanish-Moroccan permanent group concerned with migration, the latest of which was held in June 2023.