Spain’s Sánchez Defends EU Aid to Morocco Despite Migrant Crisis in Ceuta

26 May 2021 – byPrince@Bladi · 1 min read

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez categorically rejected on Monday, at the European Council, the proposal to suspend the allocation of European funds to Morocco, pending the kingdom’s further strengthening of its border control after the massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta at the beginning of last week.

It is out of the question that the significant European aid received by Morocco be "conditional on respecting borders," Sánchez said at a press conference after the European Council, indicating that he had defended in the Council of Ministers last week the granting of 35 million in direct aid to Morocco, this despite the massive arrival of Moroccan migrants in Ceuta.

Morocco must not lose sight of the fact that Spain is its "best partner" within the European Union, the Prime Minister stressed. "We want to have better relations with Morocco, but always with mutual respect and trust," Sánchez added, making a distinction between the migration crisis in Ceuta and the one born of Spain’s reception of the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, for "humanitarian" reasons.

Category: Spain

Keywords:

Illegal immigration Spain European Union