Spain's Distinctive Method to Migration from Africa

Spain is charting a noticeably unique direction from several Western nations when it comes to immigration strategies and engagement with the African mainland.

Whereas countries like the US, UK, France and Germany are cutting back their foreign assistance funding, Madrid stays focused to enhancing its engagement, though from a reduced baseline.

Current Programs

Currently, the Spanish capital has been welcoming an African Union-backed "world conference on people of African descent". The Madrid African conference will discuss reparative equity and the formation of a fresh assistance program.

This represents the latest indication of how the Spanish administration is seeking to deepen and expand its cooperation with the region that sits merely a brief span to the southern direction, across the Straits of Gibraltar.

Governmental Approach

During summer International Relations Head José Manuel Albares launched a recent guidance panel of renowned scholarly, diplomatic and cultural figures, over 50 percent of them of African origin, to monitor the implementation of the detailed Spain-Africa strategy that his leadership unveiled at the conclusion of the previous year.

Fresh consular offices south of the Sahara, and cooperative ventures in enterprise and academic are arranged.

Migration Management

The contrast between the Spanish method and that of other Western nations is not just in funding but in tone and philosophy – and particularly evident than in dealing with migration.

Like other European locations, Prime Minister the Spanish premier is looking for ways to control the arrival of unauthorized entrants.

"In our view, the immigration situation is not only a issue of humanitarian values, unity and dignity, but also one of rationality," the administration head said.

More than 45,000 people undertook the dangerous ocean journey from Africa's west coast to the island territory of the Canary Islands recently. Calculations of those who died while undertaking the journey vary from 1,400 to a staggering 10,460.

Practical Solutions

Madrid's government must house fresh migrants, review their cases and handle their incorporation into wider society, whether short-term or more permanent.

However, in terminology markedly different from the adversarial communication that comes from several Western administrations, the Sanchez government publicly recognizes the challenging monetary conditions on the region in Western Africa that compel individuals to jeopardize their safety in the effort to reach the European continent.

Furthermore, it attempts to move beyond simply refusing entry to recent entrants. Instead, it is creating innovative options, with a pledge to promote human mobility that are secure, organized and regular and "mutually beneficial".

Financial Collaboration

While traveling to the West African nation the previous year, the Spanish leader emphasized the input that foreign workers make to the Iberian economic system.

The Spanish government supports skill development initiatives for youth without work in countries such as Senegal, especially for unauthorized persons who have been returned, to assist them in creating workable employment options back home.

And it has expanded a "rotational movement" programme that offers individuals from West Africa temporary permits to enter Spanish territory for defined timeframes of temporary employment, mainly in agriculture, and then return.

Strategic Importance

The fundamental premise supporting the Spanish approach is that the Iberian nation, as the EU member state nearest to the mainland, has an crucial domestic priority in the continent's advancement toward equitable and enduring progress, and tranquility and protection.

That basic rationale might seem apparent.

However previous eras had guided Spain down a quite different path.

Besides a limited Mediterranean outposts and a compact tropical possession – currently sovereign the Gulf of Guinea country – its colonial expansion in the 1500s and 1600s had mostly been oriented toward the Americas.

Prospective Direction

The heritage aspect incorporates not only advancement of Castilian, with an enhanced representation of the language promotion body, but also initiatives to support the transfer of academic teachers and researchers.

Security co-operation, initiatives concerning global warming, gender equality and an increased international engagement are expected elements in the current climate.

However, the approach also places significant emphasis it allocates for backing democratic principles, the pan-African body and, in particular, the regional West African group the West African economic bloc.

This will be welcome public encouragement for the entity, which is now experiencing substantial difficulties after observing its five-decade milestone spoiled by the withdrawal of the Sahel nations – Burkina Faso, the West African state and the Nigerien Republic – whose governing armed forces have refused to comply with its protocol on democracy and good governance.

Meanwhile, in a statement directed equally toward Spain's internal population as its sub-Saharan partners, the external affairs department said "helping persons of African origin and the fight against racism and xenophobia are also essential focuses".

Impressive rhetoric of course are only a beginning stage. But in today's sour international climate such terminology really does appear distinctive.