Morocco accepts only 8% of EU deportation orders, report reveals

Morocco accepts only 8% of deportation orders for its nationals issued by the European Union, according to a report by the Spanish news outlet El País, which cited data from the European Commission published by Statewatch.

This rate places Morocco among the countries with the lowest cooperation in readmitting irregular migrants, alongside Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Algeria. El País noted that this figure is recorded despite Morocco being a key partner and the African country with the highest number of nationals irregularly crossing European borders.

Other countries with similarly low acceptance rates include Mali (4%), Guinea (5%), Ivory Coast (5%), Bangladesh (9%), and Algeria (10%). In contrast, Gambia (37%), Iraq (14%), and Pakistan (11%) showed higher cooperation rates among the top 15 countries with the most irregular migrants entering the EU.

Countries such as Afghanistan, Libya, Palestine, and Syria were excluded from the assessment due to operational challenges, as were Russia and Sudan due to ongoing conflicts.

For context, the EU issued 35,065 deportation orders for irregular Moroccan migrants in 2023, but only 2,760 were deported.

The report, as cited by El País, indicated that 44% of EU member states rated Morocco’s cooperation in identifying its nationals for deportation as poor or very poor, while 46% rated it as good or very good.

It added that confidential data from Spain’s Interior Ministry showed that around 1,000 Moroccans were deported last year, while over 14,000 irregular Moroccan migrants arrived.

The report recommends that “Morocco take concrete steps to enhance cooperation on readmission,” given the significant number of Moroccan nationals arriving in the EU irregularly.

The European Commission has expressed “a desire for more flexibility and efficiency in the process, including waiving certain requirements and streamlining procedures.”