Spain Urges EU to Boost Funding for Morocco to Combat Illegal Immigration

This request was made by the acting Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, last Thursday in Madrid, during a joint press conference with the elected President of the European Council, Charles Michel, on a visit to Spain.

According to Pedro Sanchez, his country has managed to reduce the number of illegal migrant arrivals on the Spanish coasts by 50% in 2019, thanks to the cooperation of Morocco.

According to the report of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior entitled, "Irregular Immigration: January-October 2019", cited by the political leader, it was possible to reduce by more than 53% the number of clandestine migrants who arrived by sea in Spain between January 1 and October 30. Thus, 22,247 migrants illegally reached the Spanish coasts on makeshift boats as of October 30, compared to 47,684 migrants during the same period in 2018, a decrease of 53.3%.

The same report specifies that 1,030 boats arrived on the Spanish coasts, compared to 1,775, between January 1 and October 30, 2018, a decrease of 42%.