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Mauritania: Economic Migrants

Volume 703: debated on Tuesday 22 July 2008

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What assistance is given to Mauritania by the European Union to cover humanitarian and onward repatriation costs of economic migrants returned to Mauritania by Spain. [HL4413]

The UK Government do not hold data on how much assistance is given to Mauritania by the EU to cover humanitarian and onward repatriation costs. We know that most migrants who make their way from Mauritania to Spain through irregular channels are not Mauritanian nationals. In response to the increased numbers in 2006, the European Commission provided a programme of assistance, financed under the rapid response mechanism, for a period of six months. The budget for the unit as a whole was €2.45 million, and one element of the programme was assistance with voluntary returns.