EU Proposes New Migration Deal with Morocco: Increased Deportations for Easier Visa Access

This involves increasing the number of deportations from the EU to Morocco, and a policy to facilitate the obtaining of Schengen visas for Moroccan citizens. It is in this context that the two-day visit to Rabat of the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, takes place.

"We are an aging society, we need migrants, but... European citizens are a bit afraid of irregular arrivals," she explained, stressing that "having fewer irregular arrivals and returning those who cannot stay is closely linked to visa facilitation and legal migration routes." A similar proposal was recently made by Italy to Tunisia.

In this context, the EU has mobilized 343 million euros for migration management in Morocco since 2018, through police education and training programs, according to EU data published on Tuesday. The commissioner also took stock of the "acute situation" currently recorded in the Canary Islands in Spain, where the influx of illegal migrants has increased in recent months, with 90,000 people, half of whom are Moroccans. Although the EU has "good cooperation with Morocco on migration... there is still room for improvement," concluded Ms. Johansson.