1. SPANISH CASE: THE STRATEGY OF THE
“AFRICAN PROGRAMME”
International Meetings on Readmission Agreements:
Readmission agreements or blackmail to deportations?
Nerea Azkona (Entreculturas - Alboan)
Paris, 27 November 2009

2. 1. Contextualization of the research (1/2)
• Objective: to clarify the coherence between the
cooperation policies and the migration policies of
the Spanish state
• How? Reviewing whether the cooperation policies
are subordinated to the migration policies =>
instrumentalisation of the ODA in favor of migratory
flow control

3. 1. Contextualization of the research (2/2)
• Structure: 1) normative framework of the EU for
migratory policies; 2) the Spain - West Africa case
• Methodology: analysis of: 1) ODA; 2) Framework
Agreements of Migratory Cooperation and Readmission
= New Generation Agreements = Second Generation
Agreements
• Scope of work: Development Policy Coherence (DPC)
=> interested associationism: 1) internalization of
Spanish companies; 2) externalisation of Europe's
Southern border

4. 2. Africa Plan I (2006-09), Africa Plan II (2009-12)
and the “new generation agreements”
• API and APII: tools of political management of the MAEC
• Most important criticisms of API: improvisation
– Causes: 1) mediatic dialogue (sensationalism): 2) political
discourse (opportunism)
• Criticism of APII: absence of African agents
• Criticism of both plans: the incoherence of development
policies between:
– Foreign policy instruments: AP and DP (high-priority
countries)
– Internal (migration) and external (cooperation) policies =>
Objectives 3 of API and 4 of APII

5. 2.1. Africa Plan I and the promotion of cooperation to
manage migratory flows (1/2)
• Introduction of API: 1) causes of migration; 2) consequences
for development; 3) volume of migrants; 4) solutions =>
justification of API
– Causes: Decontextualization of the phenomenon;
endogenous
– Consequences: only negative
– Agents involved: 3 ministries
– Solution: 1) global approach of the EU: a) to fight against
illegal migration; b) to reinforce legal migration; c) to promote
development in the country of origin; 2) principle of joint
responsibility of the countries of origin, transit and destination

6. 2.1. Africa Plan I and the promotion of cooperation to
manage migratory flows (2/2)
• Solutions in three dimensions: 1) internal; 2) bilateral;
3) multilateral
• Lines of action:
– Internal: border controls
– Bilateral: “to achieve greater collaboration with the
countries of origin and transit by means of the
creation of a network of Framework Agreements of
Migratory Cooperation and Readmission”
• Criticisms: strategies to reach the objectives and
evaluation are not identified

7. 2.2. Africa Plan II and the consolidation of the
assotiation with Africa over migration
• Objective: “In the bilateral scope, during the period of validity of the
AP 2009-2012, to ensure the effective application of the bilateral
Agreements of Migratory Cooperation with the countries that have
signed – at the moment, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau,
Niger, Cabo Verde and Mali as well as those which are concluded in
future with other African countries”
• Transverse objective: Human rights
• AP: change in Spanish migratory policy with Sub-Saharan Africa; new
category in agreements => advance with respect to the previous ones
(repatriation)

8. 2.3. New or second generation agreements between the
Spanish State and the countries of West Africa (1/2)
• Types of agreements: 1) regulate flows of labor; 2)
regulate readmission; 3) “new generation”
• Difference: “Start from foreign policy to end up in
domestic policy” (Asín, 2008)
• Investigation: Scopes of dialectic => need for DPC
– Countries (source  host)
– Policies (domestic  foreign)
– Agents (academy  civil society  administration)

9. 2.3. New or second generation agreements between the
Spanish State and the countries of West Africa (2/2)
• New Generation Agreements:
– Purpose: To oppose and mitigate irregular migratory
flows by means of international cooperation through
bilateral agreements
– Inspired by the global approach of the EU
– Human rights: Annex [in practice: abandonment of
persons in the desert; conditions in the detention
centers]

10. 3. Conclusions from Development Policy
Coherence
• PAI: the fruit of improvisation, PAII: it has improved;
but, still incoherent
• Increase of the AOD during these years; but. Need
to complete analysis of agreements with analysis of
aid, in case it finances the control of migratory flows
Instrumentalisation of aid?
Interested associationism?

11. THANK YOU!