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EU Observer (13 February 2020)

By Olivia Sundberg Diez

Morocco is a far cry from Libya. But Spain's cooperation on migration with the former still warrants closer scrutiny.

Compared to the migration routes between Turkey and Greece, or Libya and Italy, Spain's migration policy gets relatively little attention. This is a mistake: the western Mediterranean route is far from problem-free.

The EU's partnership with the Libyan Coast Guard is its most contentious one yet. Migrants have been 'pulled back' to Libya without the opportunity to request asylum. EU funds have been linked to abuses by local authorities. Meanwhile, shrinking space for search and rescue (SAR) has made the route more dangerous.

Worryingly, similar patterns are emerging in the western Mediterranean. Spain's growing cooperation with Morocco, generously backed by EU funds, has led to a 50 percent drop in the number of irregular arrivals into the country last year. 

Click for more: https://euobserver.com/opinion/147429