Grande-Marlaska: "In ten years, Spain has increased the number of applications for international protection by 3,500%"

The Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, speaks at the Conference of Ambassadors

The Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has highlighted the "extraordinary effort" made by Spain in the area of international protection, which has allowed the number of applications to exceed 163,000. During his speech at the Conference of Ambassadors, held in Madrid, he added that this is "the highest figure in our history, since the Asylum and Refugee Office was created in 1992".

"Spain has increased the number of applications by 3,500% compared to those received in 2013, just 10 years ago," the minister stressed. "Our international protection mechanisms allow us to more than guarantee this obligation, in accordance with national, European and international regulations," he told the Spanish ambassadors gathered in Madrid.

The minister also took stock of the Spanish Presidency of the EU in the area of home affairs, describing it as "intense, successful and exciting", and referring to the main achievements of the six-month term, with special mention of the agreement reached on the migration pact "after almost eight years of negotiations and internal division".

"With this agreement, the EU provides itself with a new, updated legal framework with which to redesign its migration and asylum policy to address the principle of fair sharing of responsibility and solidarity in a more realistic way", said Grande-Marlaska during his speech.

In the area of migration, the minister asked the ambassadors posted to Europe to convey Spain's "determined preventive effort" in the area of irregular immigration, "which is the most effective way to tackle this phenomenon, protect external borders and, most importantly, save lives", he explained.

He also expressly asked the ambassadors in Africa to convey to African countries Spain's willingness to intensify collaboration in the fight against human trafficking mafias, "to prevent their citizens, among them many young people, women and children, from placing themselves in the hands of unscrupulous networks that will not hesitate to put their lives at risk".

Non official translation