EU grants 262 mln USD to support Morocco's management of migration since 2014

RABAT, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission has granted Morocco 232 million euros (262 million U.S. dollars) to support the North African kingdom to better manage migration flows since 2014, a statement said Wednesday.

The amount of EU support to Morocco was revealed in a statement by the commission on the progress made under the European Agenda on Migration over the past four years.

In late 2018, EU approved 140 million euros in support of Morocco in border management and budget support, the statement noted.

The commission underlined that Morocco has already been working to strengthen control of its border and has prevented a large number of departures.

According to the Moroccan Ministry of Interior, a total of 88,761 migrants have been prevented from leaving Morocco in 2018.

The commission underlined that the EU has been laying the foundations for a close partnership with Morocco, stressing that measures to address migration along the Western Mediterranean route must be a top priority for the EU as Spain is the primary point of entry for irregular crossings.