Minister Van der Burg attends Euro-African Ministerial Conference of the Rabat Process in Cádiz

On 13 and 14 December, the Minister for Migration Eric van der Burg took part in the Rabat Process in Cádiz, an international conference on migration attended by a wide range of European and African partner countries. The purpose of the conference is to establish collaborative efforts and partnerships in the field of migration by means of a dialogue between European and African countries.

Minister Van der Burg:

‘Good relations with other countries are indispensable to getting migration under control. This is why I took the opportunity in Cádiz to speak to various countries about how we could strengthen our cooperation. This is the only way we can prevent irregular migration to the Netherlands, alongside establishing agreements on return and readmission in order to ensure that the people who do come here, but are not permitted to remain, actually return.’

Cooperation on migration

At the Euro-African migration conference, talks were held with various countries relevant to the Netherlands, such as Morocco, Nigeria, Niger and Senegal. Speaking on behalf of the Netherlands, Minister Van der Burg highlighted the importance of cooperating with other countries to prevent people from attempting to come to the Netherlands in an uncontrolled fashion, for example, by cooperating in the area of border control and management and ensuring better economic opportunities in the countries of origin.

The talks likewise focused on the importance of exchanging information and strengthening cooperation in tackling cross-border crime, such as migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. Naturally, the return of those people not permitted remain in the Netherlands was likewise a topic of discussion.

Joint statement

A joint statement was adopted at the conference aimed at tackling the root causes of migration and to better control migration, which, alongside the Cádiz Action Plan, forms the basis of further action and cooperation. In addition, the Netherlands has become a member of the so-called Steering Committee. The Committee sets out the strategic lines of action and priorities of the Rabat Process. As a result, there will be more regular contact with other participating countries that are relevant to the Netherlands on the issue of migration, such as Morocco and Niger.