Press Release: Mauritania: new measures to combat illegal immigration towards the EU

The European Commission has adopted a package of measures to help Mauritania contain the flow of illegal immigrants to the Canary Islands. The €2.45 million programme, financed from the Rapid Reaction Mechanism, responds to the massive influx of migrants into the Canary Islands. It has been designed in close cooperation with the Spanish authorities, and the French administration has also provided useful input. Activities will focus on supporting Mauritania in managing its maritime and land frontiers, and returning migrants to their countries of origin, as well as measures to dissuade people from leaving home to attempt the dangerous sea journey in the first place. This initiative is to be seen in the wider perspective of the European Union's efforts to better manage migration in partnership with third countries which also includes initiatives on legal migration and migration and development.