Morocco resists the European Union

Morocco, migration corridor

For Morocco, one of these third countries, there is no question of accepting the repatriation of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Medhi Alioua, from the International University of Rabat (UIR) and dean of the Institute for Political Studies, explains Morocco’s reluctance. “The kingdom does not want anything to be imposed on it, it does not want to become a country of expulsion, especially not of non-Moroccans, under the pretext that they passed through Morocco.”

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, hoped to duplicate the agreement signed with Tunisia in July 2023.

The agreement envisages a sum of 250 million euros paid by the European Union for the fight against irregular immigration, the modernization of Tunisian coast guard boats and support for cooperation with the International Office for Migration. This agreement also foresees development aid of 150 million euros in 2023.

“Agreement of shame”, for some in Tunisia

You got it, the EU is asking Tunisia to control the flow of migrants in exchange for money. Tunisia accepts space for the processing of irregular migrants on its soil and will have to take care of their return to the country of origin. Tunisia did it for Italy, this time it has committed itself to do it for all EU members. As soon as it was signed, the agreement was criticized in Tunisia, and some spoke of humiliation and shame.

In this context, Morocco is reluctant to sign an agreement with the 27 EU member states. “For example, it cooperates with Spain, but Morocco’s opinion is that signing with a large group like the EU is unbalanced,” adds Mehdi Alioua.

A contract with Tunisia worth 250 million euros

Mustapha Sehimi, a Moroccan academic, law professor and political scientist, elaborates adding that “Morocco will not accept the readmission agreement, it is a matter of dignity”. In other words, Morocco does not want to readmit sub-Saharan people and manage their return to their countries of origin. Rabat, on the other hand, welcomes back Moroccan migrants once their nationality is proven. “Morocco is trying to reach the best possible agreement with the European Union, but the kingdom is already one of the countries that receives the most migrants again, around 20,000 a year,” says Mehdi Alioua.

The political scientist believes that his country is caught in the net of the political crisis that Europe is experiencing. “The European Union is experiencing a border crisis, not a migration crisis.” In 2023, 1.2 million people requested asylum upon entering the European Union (source Eurostat). According to him, Europe was not attacked, and the European bloc has 450 million inhabitants. We might add, 27 wants to close the borders to respond to the rise of populism and far-right ideas.

The EU dreams of duplicating its partnership with Tunisia

For Morocco, it is also an opportunity to resolve outstanding issues and negotiate on a give-and-take basis. The recognition of its sovereignty over the Western Sahara is part of that, but also the issue of the agreement on fishing and agriculture, which was annulled in the first instance by the European judiciary at the request of the Polisario in 2021. The Court of Justice of the European Union is expected to make a final decision next June.

Of course, no agreement has been signed today, but Morocco is receiving European aid to monitor its borders. For example, coastal surveillance radars and the equipment and training of auxiliary forces dedicated to controlling migrants are funded by the EU. This aid is integrated into budget lines covering several areas, and is therefore impossible to quantify precisely. Rabat would receive 200 million euros in recent years, according to several sources.

Read also: Brussels: The European Union adopts a new migration policy

In September 2022, Khalid Zerouali, Director of Immigration and Border Control at the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, told the Spanish agency EFE that the 500 million euro aid proposed for 7 years to Morocco does not cover the intervention costs incurred by the kingdom each year. According to him, annual expenditures reach 427 million euros.

To date, the European Union has signed 18 agreements with third countries to manage migration flows.

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