José Manuel Albares will ask the European Commission for greater involvement in the surge of migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands, with special pressure on El Hierro, and will demand a joint response from the Twenty-Seven because, as he stressed, the archipelago is also an “external border” of the European Union.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation made this announcement on Tuesday from Brussels, where he traveled after participating in the Council of Ministers. There he explained that he wants to put the situation “at this moment” on the table and demand that community institutions get involved “decisively.”
Brussels receives the warning while Spain seeks more operational support
Albares is scheduled to meet this Wednesday with the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica, and with the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Josef Síkela, to whom he will provide first-hand information on the increase in migratory pressure in the Canary Islands. This time, however, he does not plan to meet with the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner.
The head of Spanish diplomacy maintained that the trip to the community capital seeks for the European Commission and those responsible for cooperation with Africa to continue working with Spain. At the same time, he recalled that the Canary Islands are “also an external border of the European Union,” in addition to being a “very important” territory for Spain.
Senegal, Gambia and the Sahel, at the center of migratory pressure
The minister said that the Government maintains contacts with the main countries of origin and transit to the Canary Islands, particularly Senegal and Gambia. He added that he has spoken on several occasions in recent days with their foreign ministers to address the increase in arrivals.
Albares stressed that these countries are a priority for Spanish cooperation and also for that of the European Union, which is why he considers it logical to involve Brussels in the response. At the same time, he warned of the pressure coming from the Sahel, especially from countries like Mali and Niger.
Asked about the causes of the surge and the effectiveness of cooperation with the countries of origin, the minister defended the relationship with Senegal and pointed to political circumstances that, he said, are affecting the control capacity of local authorities, specifically the Youth Olympic Games.
Albares insisted that “Africa is a challenge for all of Europe” because the income gap fuels migratory pressure that, he said, is primarily suffered by Sahel countries and other areas of the continent like the Canary Islands, and demanded to resolve this situation “as soon as possible.”
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