🔗 Share this article

Spain is charting a markedly separate course from many European countries when it comes to immigration strategies and cooperation with the continent of Africa.

Although nations including the USA, Britain, French Republic and Germany are reducing their development aid budgets, Spain stays focused to enhancing its participation, albeit from a modest foundation.

New Initiatives

Currently, the Madrid has been hosting an continent-endorsed "international gathering on individuals with African heritage". AfroMadrid2025 will explore restorative justice and the establishment of a new development fund.

This represents the latest indication of how Spain's socialist-led government is seeking to deepen and diversify its engagement with the continent that lies just a few kilometres to the southern direction, across the Straits of Gibraltar.

Policy Structure

In July International Relations Head José Manuel Albares launched a recent guidance panel of distinguished academic, foreign service and cultural figures, more than half of them African, to monitor the implementation of the thorough Spanish-African initiative that his government unveiled at the conclusion of the previous year.

Fresh consular offices in sub-Saharan regions, and partnerships in enterprise and education are arranged.

Immigration Control

The distinction between Madrid's strategy and that of other Western nations is not just in spending but in tone and mindset – and particularly evident than in handling immigration.

Comparable with different EU nations, Prime Minister Madrid's chief executive is seeking methods to contain the entry of irregular arrivals.

"From our perspective, the immigration situation is not only a matter of ethical standards, unity and dignity, but also one of logic," the government leader said.

More than 45,000 individuals undertook the dangerous ocean journey from West African coastline to the overseas region of the Canary Islands last year. Calculations of those who perished while trying the crossing extend from 1,400 to a overwhelming 10,460.

Workable Approaches

Madrid's government needs to shelter fresh migrants, review their cases and oversee their integration into wider society, whether temporary or more permanent.

However, in terminology markedly different from the confrontational statements that originates from several Western administrations, the Spanish administration frankly admits the hard economic realities on the territory in Western Africa that force persons to risk their lives in the attempt to attain Europe.

Additionally, it strives to move beyond simply denying access to recent entrants. Rather, it is creating innovative options, with a promise to foster movements of people that are protected, organized and regular and "jointly profitable".

Commercial Cooperation

On his trip to Mauritania the previous year, Madrid's representative highlighted the participation that immigrants make to the Iberian economic system.

Madrid's administration funds training schemes for youth without work in countries such as the Senegalese Republic, especially for undocumented individuals who have been sent back, to help them develop viable new livelihoods in their homeland.

Furthermore, it increased a "circular migration" initiative that provides individuals from West Africa short-term visas to come to Spain for limited periods of periodic labor, mainly in agriculture, and then come home.

Geopolitical Relevance

The core principle guiding Madrid's outreach is that the Iberian nation, as the EU member state most proximate to the mainland, has an vital national concern in the continent's advancement toward inclusive and sustainable development, and stability and safety.

That basic rationale might seem apparent.

Nevertheless the past had directed the Iberian state down a distinctly separate route.

Besides a limited Mediterranean outposts and a small tropical outpost – today's independent Equatorial Guinea – its colonial expansion in the historical period had primarily been focused across the Atlantic.

Forward Vision

The arts component includes not only dissemination of the national tongue, with an expanded presence of the language promotion body, but also schemes to support the transfer of academic teachers and investigators.

Protection partnership, action on climate change, female advancement and an enhanced consular representation are predictable aspects in today's environment.

Nevertheless, the plan also lays very public stress it allocates for supporting democratic ideas, the pan-African body and, in particular, the sub-Saharan cooperative body the West African economic bloc.

This constitutes welcome public encouragement for the organization, which is now experiencing substantial difficulties after witnessing its half-century celebration spoiled by the withdrawal of the desert region countries – the Sahel country, the West African state and Niger – whose ruling military juntas have refused to comply with its agreement regarding democratic governance and good governance.

Concurrently, in a message directed equally toward the national citizenry as its continental allies, the external affairs department declared "helping persons of African origin and the battle against prejudice and xenophobia are also essential focuses".

Impressive rhetoric of course are only a first step. But in the current negative global atmosphere such discourse really does appear distinctive.