The Czechia will send 100 million to Morocco to protect its borders and fight illegal migration

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As part of two donations, the Czech Republic will provide almost 100 million crowns for a joint migration project of the Visegrad Group countries and Germany in Morocco. At the suggestion of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior, the government approved this. The V4 states and Germany agreed on a joint initiative to help Morocco as a source and transit country for illegal migration at last year's summit in Bratislava. In total, they should put 30 million euros into it.

Germany will contribute half of the amount, the V4 states will share the other half evenly. The financial contribution for the Czech Republic is 3.75 million euros (approximately 99.5 million crowns). The joint migration project is divided into two components, which focus on supporting the development and protection of borders, the material approved by the government states. Each of the donations is earmarked for one of these areas, both for the same amount of 1.875 million euros.

The first donation from the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will go to the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and focus on the development part of the project.

The agency has been present in Morocco for a long time and can build on its previous experience. For the implementation of the project, GIZ will announce transparent tenders, which will also be open to Czech companies and non-governmental organizations.

The Czechia will provide the second gift to the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and will serve to strengthen border protection. Part of the project is the purchase of technical equipment for border protection, primarily from the V4 countries and Germany,. The money will come from the budget of the Ministry of the Interior, but half of the amount should first be provided to the interior from its diplomacy chapter. Due to the rest, the interior will ask for an increase in its budget chapter by 21 million crowns next year.

The purpose of the project is to address the causes and prevent illegal migration from Morocco. The initiative is intended to help strengthen capacity and manage crisis migration situations, but also to combat illegal migration, smuggling and human trafficking. It should also focus on vocational training, improving the employment of the most at risk groups in the labor market and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.