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Madrid is adopting a distinctly different course from numerous Western nations when it comes to immigration strategies and engagement with the African mainland.

Although nations including the US, UK, French Republic and Federal Republic of Germany are slashing their foreign assistance funding, Spain stays focused to enhancing its involvement, even from a modest foundation.

Current Programs

Currently, the Spanish capital has been accommodating an African Union-backed "world conference on people of African descent". AfroMadrid2025 will explore corrective fairness and the establishment of a innovative support mechanism.

This represents the newest evidence of how Spain's socialist-led government is working to enhance and broaden its involvement with the mainland that rests only a brief span to the southern direction, across the Straits of Gibraltar.

Policy Structure

In July Foreign Minister Madrid's top envoy initiated a fresh consultative body of renowned scholarly, diplomatic and cultural figures, more than half of them of African origin, to oversee the execution of the detailed Spanish-African initiative that his administration released at the end of last year.

Fresh consular offices below the Sahara desert, and collaborations in enterprise and academic are scheduled.

Movement Regulation

The difference between Spain's approach and that of others in the West is not just in funding but in attitude and philosophy – and nowhere more so than in addressing immigration.

Similar to other European locations, Prime Minister the Spanish premier is seeking methods to control the arrival of unauthorized entrants.

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

More than 45,000 persons made the perilous sea crossing from Africa's west coast to the island territory of the Canary Islands the previous year. Calculations of those who perished while undertaking the journey range between 1,400 to a staggering 10,460.

Practical Solutions

Spain's leadership must house new arrivals, process their claims and handle their incorporation into broader community, whether short-term or more long-lasting.

Nonetheless, in terminology noticeably distinct from the adversarial communication that originates from several Western administrations, the Spanish administration frankly admits the hard economic realities on the territory in West Africa that compel individuals to endanger themselves in the effort to reach the European continent.

Furthermore, it attempts to exceed simply refusing entry to recent entrants. Conversely, it is developing creative alternatives, with a pledge to encourage population flows that are secure, systematic and standardized and "mutually beneficial".

Economic Partnerships

During his visit to the West African nation last year, Madrid's representative highlighted the contribution that immigrants make to the Spanish economy.

Madrid's administration supports skill development initiatives for youth without work in countries such as Senegal, notably for irregular migrants who have been repatriated, to assist them in creating workable employment options in their homeland.

And it has expanded a "cyclical relocation" initiative that offers persons from the region temporary permits to enter Spanish territory for defined timeframes of temporary employment, mostly in cultivation, and then go back.

Geopolitical Relevance

The basic concept underlying Spain's engagement is that the European country, as the European country most proximate to the region, has an vital national concern in the continent's advancement toward equitable and enduring progress, and stability and safety.

That basic rationale might seem obvious.

Yet of course history had taken the Iberian state down a noticeably unique course.

Apart from a limited Mediterranean outposts and a small tropical outpost – currently sovereign the Gulf of Guinea country – its colonial expansion in the historical period had mostly been oriented overseas.

Prospective Direction

The heritage aspect includes not only dissemination of the national tongue, with an increased footprint of the Spanish cultural organization, but also schemes to help the transfer of educational instructors and researchers.

Security co-operation, initiatives concerning global warming, gender equality and an enhanced consular representation are predictable aspects in contemporary circumstances.

Nevertheless, the plan also places significant emphasis it assigns to assisting democratic values, the pan-African body and, in particular, the regional West African group the Economic Community of West African States.

This will be welcome public encouragement for the latter, which is presently facing significant challenges after observing its five-decade milestone marred by the departure of the desert region countries – the West African nation, the Malian Republic and the Nigerien Republic – whose ruling military juntas have declined to adhere with its protocol on democracy and good governance.

Concurrently, in a statement aimed similarly at Spain's internal population as its continental allies, the foreign ministry declared "assisting the African community abroad and the battle against prejudice and xenophobia are also crucial objectives".

Eloquent statements of course are only a beginning stage. But in today's sour international climate such language really does appear distinctive.