The European Union (EU) announced on Wednesday a € 101.7 million in financial support granted to Morocco to help it step up its fight against migration and human trafficking. «This support, which is part of the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, aims to support Morocco's efforts to fight irregular immigration and human trafficking», said a statement from the European Commission. «With this new aid, we are deepening our partnership with Morocco to further reduce the number of irregular migrant arrivals on the Western Mediterranean route and prevent people from putting their lives at risk», said the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi, quoted in the statement. This financial support to Morocco is part of a total of € 147.7 million budget earmarked by the EU for the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa to combat irregular immigration and human trafficking, protect vulnerable people and strengthen economic development in North Africa. In addition to € 41 million to improve the protection of migrants, children and vulnerable communities in Libya, an aid of € 5 million is being mobilized by the EU to promote economic opportunities in North Africa particularly through boosting regional entrepreneurship. The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa was created in 2015 to address the root causes of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement.
