When the EU saw over 1 million sea arrivals in 2015, only a few thousands were registered in Spain, thanks to close cooperation with Morocco where authorities have took measures that drastically curbed illegal migration attempts. An official source told the Moroccan news portal le360.ma that monitoring the borders with Spain to avert illegal immigration attempts cost Morocco an estimated annual amount of €250 million. Frontex itself recognized the key role Morocco plays in preventing the surge of migration to the EU. In this regards, Morocco adopted a large-scale legalization campaign in a humanitarian move targeting mainly sub-Saharan migrants. In 2014, more than 28,000 illegal migrants received their residency card, which gives them access to basic services in Morocco and enables them to work legally.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 22, 2017 17:11 UTC