🔗 Share this article

Spain is charting a markedly separate direction from several Western nations when it comes to migration policies and engagement with the continent of Africa.

Although countries like the US, United Kingdom, France and Federal Republic of Germany are reducing their development aid budgets, Spain stays focused to increasing its involvement, though from a modest foundation.

Recent Developments

Currently, the Spanish capital has been welcoming an continent-endorsed "international gathering on individuals with African heritage". The Madrid African conference will explore corrective fairness and the formation of a innovative support mechanism.

This demonstrates the newest evidence of how the Spanish administration is seeking to deepen and expand its cooperation with the region that lies just a few kilometres to the southern direction, beyond the Gibraltar passage.

Policy Structure

This past summer International Relations Head Madrid's top envoy established a recent guidance panel of renowned scholarly, diplomatic and cultural figures, the majority of them African, to supervise the implementation of the thorough Spanish-African initiative that his administration released at the conclusion of the previous year.

Additional diplomatic missions in sub-Saharan regions, and cooperative ventures in commerce and academic are arranged.

Immigration Control

The contrast between Madrid's strategy and that of others in the West is not just in funding but in tone and outlook – and especially noticeable than in handling migration.

Comparable with other European locations, Government Leader Pedro Sanchez is exploring approaches to control the entry of irregular arrivals.

"In our view, the movement dynamic is not only a matter of ethical standards, unity and respect, but also one of rationality," the government leader said.

More than 45,000 individuals made the perilous sea crossing from the Atlantic African shore to the overseas region of the Atlantic islands recently. Calculations of those who died while undertaking the journey extend from 1,400 to a astonishing 10,460.

Workable Approaches

The Spanish administration must house fresh migrants, review their cases and manage their absorption into larger population, whether transient or more permanent.

Nevertheless, in language distinctly separate from the adversarial communication that originates from numerous EU governments, the Spanish administration openly acknowledges the hard economic realities on the ground in the West African region that force persons to risk their lives in the effort to reach EU territory.

And it is trying to move beyond simply denying access to new arrivals. Rather, it is creating innovative options, with a pledge to encourage movements of people that are secure, organized and standardized and "mutually beneficial".

Economic Partnerships

On his trip to the Mauritanian Republic recently, Madrid's representative highlighted the contribution that migrants provide for the Spanish economy.

The Spanish government funds training schemes for unemployed youth in countries such as Senegal, particularly for unauthorized persons who have been returned, to assist them in creating sustainable income sources back home.

And it has expanded a "cyclical relocation" initiative that provides individuals from West Africa short-term visas to come to Spain for defined timeframes of seasonal work, mostly in cultivation, and then go back.

Policy Significance

The fundamental premise supporting Madrid's outreach is that Spain, as the European country nearest to the mainland, has an vital national concern in the continent's advancement toward equitable and enduring progress, and stability and safety.

This fundamental reasoning might seem apparent.

Yet of course previous eras had guided the Iberian state down a noticeably unique course.

Apart from a few Maghreb footholds and a minor equatorial territory – presently autonomous the Central African nation – its colonial expansion in the 1500s and 1600s had primarily been focused toward the Americas.

Future Outlook

The arts component incorporates not only dissemination of the national tongue, with an expanded presence of the language promotion body, but also initiatives to help the transfer of scholarly educators and scholars.

Protection partnership, action on climate change, gender equality and an enhanced consular representation are expected elements in contemporary circumstances.

Nevertheless, the strategy also places significant emphasis it assigns to supporting democratic ideas, the African Union and, in especial, the West African regional organization the West African economic bloc.

This will be welcome public encouragement for the organization, which is currently under severe pressure after seeing its 50th anniversary year spoiled by the withdrawal of the Sahel nations – the West African nation, Mali and the Sahel territory – whose controlling military regimes have refused to comply with its standard for political freedom and good governance.

Simultaneously, in a communication aimed similarly at Spain's internal population as its African collaborators, the foreign ministry stated "helping persons of African origin and the struggle versus discrimination and immigrant hostility are also essential focuses".

Fine words of course are only a first step. But in today's sour international climate such language really does appear distinctive.