Algeria, Spain Relaunch Anti-Illegal Migration Protocol: Towards a Renewed Strategic Framework of Cooperation
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – October 2025 – In a diplomatic breakthrough, Algeria and Spain have officially agreed to relaunch their bilateral anti-illegal migration protocol, marking a significant reset in the operational and security cooperation between Algiers and Madrid. The announcement came at the conclusion of a high-level meeting held in Algiers on Monday between Algerian Minister of the Interior, Local Assemblies and Transport, Saïd Sayoud, and his Spanish counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who began an official visit to Algeria on Saturday.
At the core of the talks stood the reactivation of the bilateral protocol on combating illegal migration, accompanied by the revision of its mechanisms through a joint technical commission. This move lays the foundation for an updated operational framework that will enter into effect within the coming weeks, reaffirming the two nations’ shared determination to address migration challenges through coordination rather than confrontation.
According to Minister Sayoud, the two sides also formalized a dedicated mechanism for the repatriation of unaccompanied minors who have reached Spanish shores clandestinely, in accordance with judicial requests and within a framework that guarantees procedural integrity and humanitarian standards. Algeria has already transmitted dossiers and relevant judicial documentation to the Spanish authorities, while Madrid has pledged to respond promptly to pending requests — thereby ensuring seamless judicial coordination free from bureaucratic obstacles.
Another key outcome of the meeting was the signing of an agreement on the exchange and comparison of fingerprints and biometric data related to individuals who lost their lives during their perilous Mediterranean crossings, a development that reflects the two governments’ determination to combine security, dignity, and transparency in their approach to migration management.
Beyond migration control, both ministers emphasized a shared strategic vision that frames illegal migration as a security and stability issue for the entire Mediterranean basin. Their dialogue, held at the Ministry of the Interior in Algiers, quickly expanded to include top-level security and civil protection officials from both sides. The Algerian delegation included the Directors-General of National Security and Civil Protection, while the Spanish side was represented by the Commissioner-General for Immigration and Borders, the Head of Maritime and Border Police, and senior officials responsible for international relations, civil protection, emergencies, and road safety — an indication that the meeting’s agenda extended beyond police matters to a comprehensive risk management strategy.
The two delegations adopted a seven-pillar priority agenda encompassing: enhanced security cooperation, the fight against irregular migration, maritime border control, the combat against narcotics trafficking, road safety, disaster management, and civil protection. A technical commission has already been mobilized to reactivate the migrant return mechanism, which had been suspended since 2022, with the objective of establishing harmonized procedures and defined timelines for coordinated action.
Parallel discussions also revived cooperation against drug trafficking and document fraud, reaffirming the need to disrupt transnational criminal networks and reinforce border controls. The visit — the first by a Spanish government member to Algeria since March 2022 — carries substantial diplomatic weight, symbolizing the thawing of relations and the reopening of bilateral communication channels after a prolonged diplomatic chill.
Grande-Marlaska described Algeria as a “key partner” in both policing and migration issues, lauding its efforts that have led to the dismantling of numerous criminal organizations operating across the Mediterranean. Minister Sayoud, for his part, revealed that Algeria prevented nearly 100,000 migrants from reaching North Africa and Europe and facilitated the voluntary and dignified return of 82,000 migrants to their home countries since 2024. He underscored that “Algeria does not use irregular migration as a tool of pressure or political blackmail, unlike certain other parties,” in a veiled reference to Morocco.
This Algiers meeting thus marks a methodical reactivation of bilateral mechanisms, grounded in verifiability, technical coordination, and shared accountability. The approach, Sayoud emphasized, aims to depoliticize operational processes by empowering professional institutions while maintaining joint ministerial oversight to resolve sensitive issues.
Ultimately, the revived anti-migration protocol reflects more than a technical agreement — it embodies a mutual commitment to transforming a diplomatic thaw into sustainable, structured, and measurable cooperation, commensurate with the shared Mediterranean challenges that unite Algeria and Spain in the pursuit of stability, legality, and regional solidarity.
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