Member States will be invited on Thursday 22 April to a ‘high-level working group’ of the Council of the European Union to give their views on which third countries they consider should be priorities for migration partnerships.
The Portuguese Presidency of the Council wants to continue the discussion launched in mid-March at the Home Affairs/Foreign Affairs Council on how to strengthen cooperation on migration with third countries of origin or transit and to extend it to other policy areas (see EUROPE 12678/8).
When contacted, the Presidency would not say whether it already had a list of specific countries in mind, but this will be the focus of Thursday’s working meeting. On 15 March, ministers from EU countries said that priority should be given to the countries of the Western Balkans, North Africa and the Sahel and the ‘Silk Road’.
“In order to provide the Commission with tangible elements for the further development of a plan to operationalise the partnerships, (...) we will ask Member States to express their views on the specific priority partner countries with which comprehensive, win-win and tailor-made migration partnerships should be strengthened, as well as on the areas and instruments for its implementation”, says a note dated 15 April.
It will also “clarify how Member States could contribute to the overall EU effort to establish or strengthen migration partnerships” the note adds.
The meeting will also focus on the enhanced dialogue project with five North African countries (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Egypt). The discussion will focus on Morocco. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)