Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said cooperation with Morocco has sharply reduced irregular migration to Spain, describing the bilateral partnership as essential to managing migratory flows.
“The close cooperation with Rabat has permitted a very significant reduction in irregular arrivals on Spanish territory,” Sanchez said in an interview with CNN on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in Dubai.
He stressed that Spain’s progress in managing migration is not the result of unilateral measures but of joint work with partner countries.
Migration control, he said, “is the result of a joint commitment and close coordination with countries of origin and transit, first and foremost Morocco, a key strategic partner.”
Sánchez cited Spain’s most recent Interior Ministry figures, highlighting the scale of the decline.
According to the data he referenced, irregular migrant arrivals to Spain fell by 42.6% in 2025, largely due to the sharp drop in crossings on the Canary Islands route.
He reiterated that Morocco’s cooperation is central to Spain’s migration management model, underpinned by “constant dialogue, operational coordination on the ground and mutual trust” between Madrid and Rabat.
Sánchez added that the economic dimension of migration also shapes Spain’s approach, noting that 90% of migrants enter the country through regular channels and that migrants contribute around 10% of Spain’s social security revenues while representing only 1% of expenditures.
