France Welcomes Morocco’s Plan to Repatriate Unaccompanied Minors from Europe

In a statement, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that Morocco’s decision, expressed on June 1 to repatriate unaccompanied Moroccan minors present on European territory, "underlines our common will to best address this difficult issue," stressing that "Morocco is an essential partner for the European Union, particularly on the issue of migration flows".

Thus, the discussions between the two countries have made it possible to put in place a common process related to the care of unaccompanied minors, specified the Quai d’Orsay, however stressing that "France is fully prepared to continue the work of judicial cooperation in order to facilitate cross-border placements", and is "closely following the situation in Sebta and the tensions of recent days, of which we hope for a rapid appeasement". In this sense, Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held a meeting on Tuesday with his Moroccan and Spanish counterparts.

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Regarding the instructions of King Mohammed VI to put an end to the issue of unaccompanied Moroccan minors, "cooperation mechanisms have been put in place for this purpose with certain countries, including France and Spain, and which have resulted in the return to Morocco of several dozens of minors," the statement said. As for the "delays observed in the realization of this cooperation, they are essentially linked to blockages due to complex procedures in certain European countries." Moreover, Morocco "is willing to collaborate, as it has always done, with European countries and the European Union, to resolve the issue" related to criminal networks that rely on the precarious situation of minors to exploit them.