🔗 Share this article

The Spanish government is pursuing a noticeably unique path from numerous developed states when it comes to migration policies and engagement with the African mainland.

While nations including the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany are cutting back their development aid budgets, Spain continues dedicated to enhancing its involvement, though from a lower starting point.

Current Programs

Recently, the Madrid has been accommodating an African Union-backed "world conference on persons of African origin". The African diaspora summit will explore reparative equity and the creation of a fresh assistance program.

This constitutes the newest evidence of how the Spanish administration is attempting to strengthen and diversify its engagement with the continent that lies just a brief span to the southern direction, over the Mediterranean crossing.

Strategic Framework

In July International Relations Head Madrid's top envoy established a fresh consultative body of distinguished academic, diplomatic and heritage experts, the majority of them of African origin, to supervise the implementation of the thorough Madrid-Africa plan that his government unveiled at the end of last year.

Fresh consular offices in sub-Saharan regions, and cooperative ventures in business and learning are arranged.

Migration Management

The difference between Madrid's strategy and that of others in the West is not just in expenditure but in attitude and outlook – and nowhere more so than in addressing migration.

Like other European locations, Government Leader Madrid's chief executive is exploring approaches to contain the entry of undocumented migrants.

"For us, the immigration situation is not only a issue of humanitarian values, unity and dignity, but also one of rationality," the prime minister commented.

Exceeding 45,000 people attempted the hazardous maritime passage from Africa's west coast to the overseas region of the Canary Islands the previous year. Estimates of those who perished while making the attempt extend from 1,400 to a overwhelming 10,460.

Workable Approaches

Spain's leadership needs to shelter recent entrants, evaluate their applications and oversee their integration into broader community, whether transient or more enduring.

Nonetheless, in language distinctly separate from the hostile messaging that emanates from many European capitals, the Madrid leadership openly acknowledges the challenging monetary conditions on the territory in the West African region that push people to risk their lives in the effort to reach Europe.

Furthermore, it attempts to transcend simply refusing entry to new arrivals. Rather, it is developing creative alternatives, with a commitment to encourage human mobility that are safe, orderly and routine and "jointly profitable".

Financial Collaboration

On his trip to the Mauritanian Republic recently, the Spanish leader stressed the contribution that foreign workers provide for the Spanish economy.

Spain's leadership funds training schemes for jobless young people in nations including the West African country, especially for irregular migrants who have been returned, to help them develop viable new livelihoods in their native country.

And it has expanded a "cyclical relocation" scheme that offers individuals from West Africa temporary permits to arrive in the Iberian nation for limited periods of periodic labor, primarily in farming, and then go back.

Geopolitical Relevance

The fundamental premise guiding Madrid's outreach is that Spain, as the EU member state most proximate to the region, has an crucial domestic priority in the continent's advancement toward inclusive and sustainable development, and tranquility and protection.

That basic rationale might seem apparent.

However the past had directed Spain down a distinctly separate route.

Besides a few Maghreb footholds and a compact tropical possession – today's independent the Central African nation – its colonial expansion in the 16th and 17th Centuries had mainly been directed overseas.

Future Outlook

The arts component includes not only advancement of Castilian, with an enhanced representation of the Spanish cultural organization, but also initiatives to assist the mobility of academic teachers and scholars.

Security co-operation, initiatives concerning global warming, female advancement and an enhanced consular representation are unsurprising components in the current climate.

Nevertheless, the approach also places significant emphasis it assigns to assisting democratic values, the pan-African body and, in especial, the regional West African group the Economic Community of West African States.

This constitutes welcome public encouragement for the organization, which is now experiencing substantial difficulties after witnessing its half-century celebration spoiled by the walk-out of the Sahelian states – Burkina Faso, the West African state and Niger – whose governing armed forces have declined to adhere with its agreement regarding democratic governance and good governance.

Concurrently, in a communication aimed similarly at the national citizenry as its African collaborators, the external affairs department stated "helping persons of African origin and the fight against racism and immigrant hostility are also essential focuses".

Impressive rhetoric of course are only a initial phase. But in today's sour international climate such terminology really does stand out.