Xinhuanet
Xinhua
The European Union (EU) granted Morocco 148 million euros to address the hike in irregular migration, Moroccan official MAP news agency reported Saturday.
Granted as part of the EU emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the new funding is part of the EU’s “continuous support” for Morocco’s National Strategy on Migration and Asylum, the report said.
Citing a statement from the European Commission, MAP said this funding “helps step up the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking of human beings, while improving the Moroccan authorities’ capacity to manage their borders.”
The EU is intensifying its support to the kingdom to address irregular migration “in response to increased migratory pressure along the Western Mediterranean Route,” the same source noted.
According to the International Organization for Migration, 111,237 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea till now in 2018, including 55,206 irregular migrants through Spain’s Mediterranean coasts.
Since 2014, the EU has committed 232 million euros through different funds and instruments to support migration-related actions in Morocco.
