The Diplomat
The migration authorities of Spain and Morocco have agreed to fight against mafias that traffic in human beings and to promote circular migration as a formula to promote “regular, orderly and safe migration”.
This was agreed on Monday in Marrakech during the XXII Meeting of the Permanent Group on Spanish-Moroccan Migration Affairs, which was chaired by the Secretary of State for Migration, Pilar Cancela, and by the Director of Migration and Border Surveillance of Morocco, Khalid Zerouali, and attended by representatives of the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs.
At this meeting of the group, established in 2003, “the need to continue collaborating on migration issues to, among other objectives, fight against mafias” was made clear, the Ministry of the Interior said in a press release.
Likewise, the attendees discussed the development of circular migration to promote “regular, orderly and safe migration.” In this regard, Pilar Cancela highlighted the “exemplary collaboration” between both countries in this area, which is articulated through the bilateral labour agreement of 2001. She also cited, as an example of success, the Wafira project, which combines circular migration with training.
During the high-level meeting, the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez, also participated, who referred to Morocco as a “priority partner” of Spain in migration matters and highlighted the “crucial” work of the Moroccan security forces and bodies in the areas close to the border perimeters in Ceuta and Melilla. He also stated that the downward trend and reduction in illegal arrivals in the Strait of Gibraltar, the Alboran Sea and the eastern Canary Islands “confirm the effectiveness” of cooperation between the two countries.
