EU Welcomes Morocco’s Decision to Definitively Resolve Issue of Unaccompanied Minors in Certain European Countries

The European Union (EU) welcomed, on Tuesday, the Kingdom’s decision to definitively settle the issue of unaccompanied Moroccan minors in illegal situation in certain European countries. “I welcome this important announcement from Morocco today regarding the readmission of unaccompanied minors,” said Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement. “We will continue our close cooperation with Morocco to address migration challenges and promote our win-win bilateral partnership,” said the European Commissioner in a statement on his Twitter account. A press release from the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans abroad had announced that HM King Mohammed VI reiterated his Very High Instructions to the Ministers in charge of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs to definitively settle the issue of unaccompanied Moroccan minors in an illegal situation in certain European countries. The statement said that HM the King had stressed, on several occasions, including to Heads of Foreign State, the clear and firm commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco to accept the return of duly identified unaccompanied minors. Morocco is ready to collaborate, as it has always done, with European countries and the European Union (EU), for the settlement of this issue, the statement said, noting that the Kingdom hopes that the EU and the countries concerned will be able to overcome the procedural constraints to facilitate this operation.