The Spanish Ministry of the Interior purchased 20 surveillance systems earlier this month to be delivered to Morocco, investing 4 million euros in technology to help the Kingdom monitor its borders and curb illegal immigration, according to Ibernian news outlet El Confidencial Digital.
The same source mentioned that the purchase was processed by the Ministry’s Secretary of State for Security, particularly the Subdirectorate General for Planning and Management of Infrastructure and Means for Security, without any EU funding.
The contract was awarded to Etel 88, a surveillance technology company, for 4,116,500 euros through a negotiated procedure without publicity.
Etel 88, based in Madrid, is a Spanish service company specializing in the marketing, distribution, and consultancy of products for the aeronautical, defense, and security sectors. Among its offerings are technologies for border control, illegal trafficking prevention, maritime rescue, and fishing activity surveillance, including thermal cameras, binoculars, night-vision goggles, and coastal radar systems
Though it may seem surprising that the Spanish Ministry is purchasing technology not for Spanish security forces but for Morocco, El Confidencial Digital noted that this is part of Spain’s broader strategy to curb the growing issue of illegal immigration.
It mentioned that Spain has been increasingly working with African coastal countries, from the Central Mediterranean to the Atlantic coast, to prevent people from attempting to cross into Spain by boat or scale the fences of Ceuta and Melilla.
As part of this strategy, the Spanish government occasionally deploys maritime and aerial resources to countries such as Senegal to detect and prevent the departure of illegal boats, and provides financial support and equipment to the border security forces of countries like Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal.
In recent years, the Spanish government has authorized similar investments, such as 3.2 million euros in 2018 for 108 vehicles and other equipment to reinforce border control in Morocco, Senegal, and Mauritania.
In 2019, Spain approved 26 million euros for 230 vehicles to help with migration flow control. In 2021, it allocated 10.6 million euros for thermal cameras and night-vision devices for Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior.
Some of these purchases were processed through the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), a public sector foundation, and some were backed by the European Union, which the government claims reduces Spain’s financial burden.
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