The aid will come from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of a joint operation launched with Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.
The European Union is preparing to allocate 14 million euros to the Canary Islands to strengthen the reception capacity of migrants in this archipelago located off the coast of Morocco.
According to the EU, the aim of this programme is to “strengthen the protection of our external border through the Canary Islands”who know a sharp increase in migrant arrivals from West Africa for several months.
This aid follows a similar payment of 20 million euros from the European Union to the Spanish archipelagocarried out in March.
European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Migration Margaritis Schinas made the announcement during a visit to the archipelago, where he met with President Fernando Clavijo Batlle.
The Commissioner states that “The Canary Islands are not alone” in the face of this migration crisis, while insisting on “the enormous pressure” facing Canarian institutions and society.
It also highlights the need to support “those who arrive in a situation of greater vulnerability, such as children“.
The project aims to improve the level of assistance provided to unaccompanied minors through the European Asylum Agencythe aim of which is to strengthen cooperation between Member States in matters of asylum.
Margaritis Schinas plans to visit the temporary centres set up to accommodate migrants in Tenerife and El Hierro.
In a press release, the local government of the Canary Islands thanks the EU for its help, saying that:he wants to treat “with dignity” people arriving on the islands in clandestine boats.
Between January and August of this year, the Canary Islands recorded the arrival of 22,300 migrants, a figure that is expected to increase in the coming months, as navigation conditions are more favourable in this region of the Atlantic in winter.
