Merkel and Sanchez Agree on Migrants: Fairer Distribution Across the European Union

New Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed on Saturday on the need for a fairer distribution of migrants within the European Union and greater support for Morocco as an emitting and transit country for migrants, agencies report.

At a joint press conference, Merkel and Sanchez advocated for a “fair distribution” of migrants and announced that they would present this approach at the upcoming European Union summit in September in Austria.

“It is good to know that the German and Spanish governments have the same approach: as Europeans, we are only strong when we work together to solve issues,” said the Chancellor as reported by DW.

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The Spanish Prime Minister emphasized that it is crucial to assist in the development of African countries.

“Fourteen kilometers separate the Spanish, i.e., European coast from North Africa, but there is an incomparably greater distance in development,” said the new head of the Spanish government, socialist Pedro Sanchez. “Reducing the depths of that inequality gap should be one of the main tasks of the European Union,” he added, according to AFP.

The two leaders agreed to intensify dialogue and cooperation with the countries of origin and transit of migrants, mainly with Morocco.

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Sanchez reminded that “they are talking to the European Commission about unblocking economic funds that would enable Morocco to more effectively control its borders.”

According to a statement released by Madrid, Sanchez and Merkel agreed to convey to the European Commission the need for greater financial involvement in the European Fund for Africa.

Merkel reminded that Germany has contributed to this Fund for Tunisia and Morocco as they need support for border security and development cooperation.

The informal meeting between Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Sanchez followed the signing of an agreement on August 6 between Berlin and Madrid regarding the return from Germany of asylum seekers who have already applied for asylum in Spain.

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This is the first time that a member state of the European Union has signed such an agreement with Germany.

Merkel hopes to convince Italy and Greece to also accept migrants who were first registered in those two countries before arriving in Germany.

After a dispute in July with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, who wants Chancellor Merkel to implement a stricter policy towards migrants, the migrant issue threatened to topple the German coalition government.