Morocco-SpainThe Moroccan-Spanish permanent mixed migration group met Friday in Rabat, under the chairmanship of Khalid Zerouali, Wali director of migration and border surveillance at the Ministry of the Interior and Jesus Perea Cortijo, secretary of State of Migration, in the presence of Rafael Pérez Ruiz, Secretary of State for Security and Angeles Moreno Bau,
Morocco-Spain
The Moroccan-Spanish permanent mixed migration group met Friday in Rabat, under the chairmanship of Khalid Zerouali, Wali director of migration and border surveillance at the Ministry of the Interior and Jesus Perea Cortijo, secretary of state. of Migrations, in the presence of Rafael Pérez Ruiz, Secretary of State for Security and Angeles Moreno Bau, Secretary of State for External and Global Affairs.
This meeting takes place within the framework of the implementation of the roadmap drawn up during the visit to the Kingdom, in April 2022, of Pedro Sanchez, President of the Spanish government, specifies the joint press release made public at the end of this meeting. .
During the discussions which addressed the migratory partnership as a whole, the two parties welcomed “the resumption of their migratory meetings which have always established trust and shared responsibility”, underlines the same source.
Thus, adds the document, in terms of operational cooperation, the Spanish side expressed its thanks to the Moroccan authorities for “the far-reaching efforts” made in the fight against illegal migration with “tangible results”.
Faced with the shared challenges induced by the action of migrant smuggling networks and the unstable regional environment, the two parties have decided to strengthen their coordination and information exchange mechanisms, in particular through the renovation of working methods. at the level of police cooperation centres, liaison officers and mixed patrols.
In the fight against criminal migrant smuggling networks on the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean routes, return is also “an essential deterrent”, noted the two parties, expressing their desire to continue to provide “agile responses and flexible” to the challenges that underlie this field.
In terms of border management and its multiple challenges, emphasis was placed on the need to articulate joint efforts around active solidarity in terms of long-term technical and financial support that can optimize resilience and efficiency. operational.
In this sense, “both parties attach particular importance to the increased possibilities of financial support for Morocco in the new multi-annual financial framework of the European Union”, underlines the joint press release, adding that Spain, like Member State, “will continue to highlight the role of Morocco as a strategic partner of the European Union in all directions, including in the field of migration”.
Regarding regular migration, the Mixed Migration Group hailed “the positive results” of the Moroccan-Spanish model of circular mobility and labor management, which represents “one of the most solid and recognized examples of success at European and international level”.
The two parties pledged to “continue to work 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 Moroccan societies. and Spanish than for the migrant himself”, reiterating their shared desire to strengthen the prospects for cooperation in order to encourage controlled legal flows, in coordination with all operators and contributors.
After recalling 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”, Moroccan and Spanish officials committed to working together with the aim of strengthen the integration of the communities of nationals of the two countries both in Spain and in Morocco, and particularly that which concerns the most vulnerable categories.
With regard to the problem of unaccompanied minors, the Moroccan party recalled the High Royal Instructions for the repatriation of all duly identified Moroccan minors, notes the press release, adding that the two parties have agreed to favor an approach centered on the best interest of the minor, in particular through prevention and protection.
Regarding regional cooperation on migration, Morocco and Spain are committed to strengthening dialogue and close coordination during their respective presidencies of the Rabat Process in 2022 and 2023.
It was also agreed to bring together, in June 2022, the various ad hoc joint sub-committees under the migration group in order to validate sectoral action plans.