As reported, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) reached an agreement on cooperation on repatriations during his visit to Morocco. According to the Federal Chancellery, Austria is the most popular country for Moroccan citizens within the EU. According to a political scientist, the country offers no prospects for young and well-educated people.
That is why many of them would emigrate, says political scientist Manuel Gath of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Rabat. “More than half of the Moroccan population is under 30 years old, at the same time 30 percent of 15 to 24-year-olds are unemployed and the higher the level of education, the greater the unemployment,” he reported in the Ö1 morning news on Wednesday. The majority (60 percent) of academics are unemployed. In addition, the “diversity of opinion on certain topics is limited”.
Action plan has existed since 2005
Regarding the newly struck agreement itself, Gath said bilateral agreements with European countries are “selling well” in Morocco. The result must then “be visible in practice.” Migration researcher Judith Kohlenberger referred to Morocco’s action plan with the EU, which has existed since 2005, and the mobility partnership since 2013. It is already easier for people from Morocco to enter the EU regularly. To this end, the country has committed itself to countering irregular migration. In recent years, the EU has invested €250 million in border security measures.
The current system includes two parallel fences, each six meters high – with floodlights, motion detectors and cameras. When the measures in Ceuta and Melilla were tightened in 2006, more people came from Morocco to the Canary Islands. “There’s a shifting effect that comes with building border fences, usually on even more dangerous routes, from land to sea,” Kohlenberger said.
In Austria, Moroccans submitted 8,470 asylum applications last year. This corresponds to 39 percent of all applications within the EU (22,000). However, most people who come to Austria move on to Spain, for example. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 240 people from Morocco are currently receiving basic care in Austria.
In the future, not only should it be easier for people to leave the Austrian asylum system, but also detained citizens should be able to be returned to their country of origin. There are currently 59 Moroccans in prison in this country.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
