Moroccan-Spanish cooperation: a success story of migration policy, Spanish official

Spanish Immigration and Emigration state secretary, Consuelo Rumi spoke of her country's cooperation with Morocco as a "success story" of the Spanish migration policy.

    This policy has resulted in a "substantial dip" in the arrival of boats carrying illegal migrants on the Spanish coast, including the Canary Islands, which recorded in 2005 and 2006 unprecedented arrivals of sub-Saharan migrants, she said at a meeting, Monday, with the foreign press, accredited in Madrid.

    "This decline is not due to the economic crisis affecting Spain but is the result of stronger control operations off the African coast to prevent boats from heading towards the Canary Islands," she explained.

    Rumi acknowledged that the economic crisis, which hit Spain, contributed to the decline in arrivals in Spain of nationals from Latin America, while stressing that Spain's needs for foreign labour "will increase, once the economic crisis is over."

    The migration policy adopted by the Spanish government is based on a cross-cultural model that gives priority to the integration of new citizens, while involving locals, " Rumi told reporters.

    This migration model lays down "equal opportunities, duties and obligations" between Spaniards and immigrants, she added.

    Since 2004, Spain has been implementing a migration policy based on fighting illegal immigration, strengthening development-oriented assistance to source countries and promoting legal migration.

MAP