On Sunday 11 December, the European Union and Mali signed an agreement on the return of migrants in an irregular situation, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders stated on a visit to Bamako, before signing this arrangement on behalf of the EU.
The returns agreement, which does not carry the official name of a readmission agreement or have the legal form of it, is the first of its kind, Koenders said in a press release. The aim of the agreement is to fight against the deep-rooted causes of irregular migration and to support the return of Malian migrants from Europe. It is the first time that the EU has established such precise commitments with an African country as regards the return of rejected asylum seekers, Koenders said.
The EU started a programme of targeted partnerships with five African countries (Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Ethiopia and Senegal) last June. This type of partnership is based on a combination of actions to fight terrorism, strengthen the return of irregular migrants and strengthen development aid. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini is due to make an initial general assessment of this approach at the European Council on Thursday 15 December.
In response to the invitation from his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop, Koenders' visit (conducted on behalf of Mogherini) comes more generally as part of the action plan adopted between European and African states – which was decided upon at the immigration summit in Valletta, Malta, in November 2015. The EU also decided at this summit to assist Africa financially with funding of €1.8 million.
The EU-Mali agreement includes initiatives to help young people at work, to strengthen Malian security service capacities, and to collaborate better with neighbouring countries in order to fight human trafficking networks and improve border controls. Nine projects, for a total of €145.0 million, have been adopted.
In addition, Malian officials will visit EU member countries to help determine the identity of migrants so as to accelerate their return, the press release states, speaking of the migrants' "readmission and reintegration". The number of asylum seekers originating from several African countries, including Mali, Nigeria and Gambia, increased considerably in 2014, according to the EU's statistical office, Eurostat. Those from Mali numbered 12,945 in 2014 and 8,405 the following year. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)