Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, stated on Monday that there is «significant potential» to enhance the «return and readmission» operations for irregular migrants by Morocco. He emphasized that cooperation between the European Union and Morocco is «crucial» in this area. Brunner's remarks came during his meeting with members of the Civil Liberties Committee in the European Parliament, where they discussed migration agreements with Morocco, Jordan, and Turkey. In response to a question from Spanish MP Jorge Buxadé (Vox Party) about the situation in Morocco, Brunner stated that there is «no doubt» that cooperation between Morocco and the European Union remains «below potential» in the field of «return and reintegration». Brunner acknowledged the «shared challenges» between the two parties in the field of migration but highlighted that Morocco and the European Union share a «common goal in combating human trafficking and developing legal channels» for migrants. In this context, the commissioner spoke about some progress made in the cooperation between Morocco and European agencies such as Frontex and CEPOL (the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training). Regarding Europol, Brunner noted that the European Union has not seen «the progress it expected» in negotiations on the agreement with Morocco. Brunner added that Morocco is working diligently in managing migration flows and combating irregular migration. He also pointed out that the efforts made by Moroccan authorities to combat human trafficking resulted in a 40% decrease in the number of irregular migrants in 2024, as well as in the number of crossing attempts into Spanish territory. On another note, Brunner spoke about the future regulation of return operations before the same committee members in the European Parliament, explaining that, despite a slight improvement in the rate of returning irregular migrants in 2024, the percentage remains at 25%.
