EU Externalization Policies and their Impact on Migrants in Morocco

Abstract

This chapter lays out the context of research in Morocco and the general situation of migrants in the country. In the beginning, it provides a general overview about the characteristics of Morocco’s migrant population. It explores the different types of migrants which Morocco is hosting, as well as their socio-economic and legal statuses. Furthermore, the chapter gives a short overview of new and old migration policies and their connections with EU migration policy and development cooperation. After that, important state-and non-state actors involved in migration management in Morocco are introduced. The chapter focuses on the structural conditions which regulate migration – both on national and international level- and how these are “framed” in policy talk. By doing this, the chapter uncovers the contradictions between the theoretical justifications for non-state and state actors’ decisions and activities in migration management in Morocco and those pursued by migrants themselves.