Migration Management: Morocco, Key Player in Mediterranean, Says EU Commissioner

   The EU should strengthen its cooperation with key countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, including Morocco, for better management of migration flows, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said Tuesday.

   The recent incidents in the Mediterranean and the arrival of thousands of migrants in Europe mainly from Libya and Turkey is a stark reminder that the EU should cooperate more closely with key third countries like Morocco, the Commissioner said at a meeting in Brussels of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament.

   "To achieve better management of migration flows, we need to strengthen cooperation with the countries of the southern Mediterranean and implement the tools of the European neighborhood policy, development aid and trade", the European Commissioner said, noting that this is why he intends to visit three countries in the region: Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia.

   Avramopoulos stressed that neighboring countries should be aware of the benefits they can gain by strengthening their cooperation with the EU and its Member States in the field of migration.

   In this regard, he noted that the EU will continue to substantially support the commendable efforts of neighboring countries in the fight against trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants.

MAP 14 April 2015