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The Spanish government is pursuing a markedly separate path from several European countries when it comes to migration policies and cooperation with the continent of Africa.

While nations including the USA, United Kingdom, French Republic and Germany are cutting back their foreign assistance funding, Madrid stays focused to enhancing its involvement, though from a reduced baseline.

New Initiatives

Currently, the Spanish capital has been hosting an AU-supported "global summit on individuals with African heritage". The African diaspora summit will examine corrective fairness and the creation of a new development fund.

This constitutes the most recent sign of how Madrid's leadership is working to enhance and diversify its engagement with the continent that sits merely a few kilometres to the south, over the Mediterranean crossing.

Strategic Framework

This past summer Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares established a recent guidance panel of prominent intellectual, diplomatic and heritage experts, more than half of them from Africa, to supervise the implementation of the detailed Spain-Africa strategy that his leadership released at the end of last year.

Additional diplomatic missions below the Sahara desert, and cooperative ventures in enterprise and education are planned.

Movement Regulation

The distinction between Spain's approach and that of other Western nations is not just in funding but in perspective and mindset – and nowhere more so than in dealing with immigration.

Comparable with elsewhere in Europe, Government Leader Pedro Sanchez is looking for ways to contain the influx of undocumented migrants.

"In our view, the immigration situation is not only a issue of humanitarian values, solidarity and dignity, but also one of logic," the prime minister said.

More than 45,000 persons attempted the hazardous maritime passage from West African coastline to the overseas region of the Canaries the previous year. Approximations of those who died while making the attempt extend from 1,400 to a staggering 10,460.

Practical Solutions

Madrid's government needs to shelter new arrivals, evaluate their applications and oversee their integration into larger population, whether short-term or more long-lasting.

Nonetheless, in terminology distinctly separate from the hostile messaging that emanates from many European capitals, the Spanish administration publicly recognizes the challenging monetary conditions on the region in Western Africa that force persons to endanger themselves in the endeavor to achieve Europe.

And it is trying to move beyond simply refusing entry to new arrivals. Instead, it is designing original solutions, with a pledge to encourage population flows that are protected, organized and regular and "jointly profitable".

Economic Partnerships

While traveling to the Mauritanian Republic the previous year, Sanchez emphasized the input that migrants make to the Iberian economic system.

Madrid's administration supports skill development initiatives for youth without work in countries such as the West African country, notably for unauthorized persons who have been repatriated, to assist them in creating sustainable income sources in their homeland.

Additionally, it enlarged a "cyclical relocation" programme that offers West Africans temporary permits to enter Spanish territory for limited periods of periodic labor, mostly in cultivation, and then return.

Policy Significance

The core principle guiding Madrid's outreach is that the European country, as the continental nation closest to the region, has an vital national concern in Africa's progress toward inclusive and sustainable development, and tranquility and protection.

The core justification might seem apparent.

However history had taken Spain down a noticeably unique course.

Besides a limited Mediterranean outposts and a compact tropical possession – currently sovereign Equatorial Guinea – its colonial expansion in the 16th and 17th Centuries had primarily been focused toward the Americas.

Future Outlook

The heritage aspect incorporates not only dissemination of the national tongue, with an enhanced representation of the language promotion body, but also initiatives to support the transfer of scholarly educators and scholars.

Defense collaboration, action on climate change, women's empowerment and an increased international engagement are expected elements in contemporary circumstances.

Nevertheless, the strategy also lays very public stress it allocates for backing democratic principles, the continental organization and, in especial, the West African regional organization Ecowas.

This will be welcome public encouragement for the organization, which is now experiencing substantial difficulties after seeing its 50th anniversary year marred by the departure of the desert region countries – the West African nation, the Malian Republic and Niger – whose ruling military juntas have refused to comply with its standard for political freedom and good governance.

Concurrently, in a communication directed equally toward Spain's internal population as its continental allies, the foreign ministry said "assisting the African community abroad and the struggle versus discrimination and immigrant hostility are also key priorities".

Fine words of course are only a initial phase. But in contemporary pessimistic worldwide environment such language really does appear distinctive.