Rabat – Throughout a 15-page report, the EU Commission informed the European Parliament and the European Council of EU partnerships with Morocco to control migration because of Morocco’s importance as a transit country for migrants.
The report emphasized the collaboration between Morocco and the EU and their will to “form a closer, deeper and more ambitious partnership.”
According to the report, mobility and migration are key elements of the partnership “through a mixture of financial support, closer expert contacts and operational cooperation, including with the support of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.”
Yesterday, EU Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos commended the EU-Morocco partnership, emphasizing his determination to enhance the relationship.
The EU official also said that the migration crisis are over, comparing last year’s statistics with the previous year.
Avramopoulos said, “Misinformation, untruths, and fake news” make it “hard to know what is actually going on.”
In the report, the European Commission recalled that Morocco benefits from financial support as the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa is working to “develop cooperation along the whole of the route to the Western Mediterranean.”
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The EU body is working on a cross-border collaboration program worth €8.6 million to reinforce migration governance between four African states: Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal.
The program aims to intensify regional policy dialogue on migration.
The report emphasized that new assistance from EU and Spain “should be directed at reducing irregular arrivals from the Moroccan coast and lead to further engagement with Morocco and other relevant countries to increase the effective readmission of irregular migrants.”
In recent months, Morocco and Spain collaborated together on migration control at their border.
Read Also: European Commission Reassures Morocco of EU Support on Migration
The collaboration was promoted during a royal Spanish visit in Morocco in February, when King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia visited Morocco.
Spain also pressured the EU to support Morocco financially.
The report also spoke about an investment in dialogue with partner countries, emphasizing that talks with partner countries “brought tangible steps forward.”
According to the report, the commission will resume negotiations with Tunisia and Morocco.
The commission is also working on a pilot project, including a program to manage “legal migration more effectively with key partner countries.” The project involves Belgium, Morocco, Nigeria, and Lithuania. It “addresses skill shortages in the IT sector with potential reintegration at the end of the project.”
In February, an EU delegation visited Morocco to discuss cooperation on vocational training.
According to the state secretariat of vocational training, Morocco received €60 million.
The program aims to develop a broader and integrated vocational training system. It also focuses on the adaptation of the training to employers’ needs, the improvement of the quality of the vocational training system, and strengthening coordination between stakeholders.
