The migration route from Algeria to the Balearic Islands is currently the fastest-growing in the entire Mediterranean, according to the latest data from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. So far this year, more than 6,000 people have arrived on the islands by sea, representing an 84% increase compared with the previous year.
“The Balearic Islands are now the main gateway for irregular migration into Europe across the Mediterranean,” said the President of the regional government, Marga Prohens.
In light of this situation, Prohens and the President of the Mallorca Island Council, Llorenç Galmés, have called on the European Commission in Brussels to activate Frontex in order to curb the arrival of small migrant boats from Algeria. The meeting took place with European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, and was also attended by the Presidents of the island councils of Menorca, Adolfo Vilafranca, and Ibiza, Vicent Marí.
Adolfo Vilafranca, President of the Menorca Island Council; Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration; Marga Prohens, President of the Balearic Islands Government; Llorenç Galmés, President of the Mallorca Island Council; and Vicent Marí, President of the Ibiza Island Council, before the meeting held in Brussels. Photo: CAIB.
A European problem
Both Commissioner Brunner and the island presidents agreed that the migration crisis in the Balearic Islands is “a European problem” that requires a joint response.
Prohens recalled that the formal request to deploy Frontex must come from the Spanish Government, but criticised what she described as a lack of action by the central authorities.
“It is the Spanish Government that must make the request, and to this day, it has not been done,” she insisted.
The President of the Mallorca Island Council, Llorenç Galmés, warned that Mallorca is facing an unprecedented migration crisis that has overwhelmed the island’s child protection system.
“Despite allocating more than 30 million euros to address the situation, we no longer have available spaces or professionals. It is incomprehensible that the Government of Pedro Sánchez has not requested Frontex’s intervention, and that is why we are asking the European Union for a common and determined response to this emergency,” said Galmés.
The Mallorcan leader also recalled that the island council has formally asked the Spanish Government twice to activate Frontex along the Balearic route, so far without any response.
Willingness to deploy Frontex
For his part, Commissioner Brunner expressed his willingness to deploy Frontex but stressed that a formal request from Spain is essential. He also noted that this European mechanism significantly reduces irregular migration in the regions where it is implemented.
The Spanish Civil Guard monitors the arrival of a group of Algerian migrants upon landing in Mallorca. Photo: Teresa Ayuga.
Prohens thanked the Commissioner for “his understanding and concern” regarding the evolution of the migration route, and warned that the island administrations are managing the guardianship of unaccompanied minors on their own, without sufficient resources.
The President warned that the lack of space and professionals is overloading care services and jeopardising decent living conditions for migrant minors.