Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez Pérez, at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New Yorek (US), September 25, 2024. PAMELA SMITH / AP
"Not so long ago, Spain was also a country of migrants, and many fellow Spaniards sought a better life elsewhere, a destiny that was impossible for them in their own country," said Pedro Sanchez during a visit to Mauritania on August 27. The Spanish government's socialist president wants to make a dissonant voice heard, with an empathetic and positive view of migration, in a Europe where it is most often approached only through the prism of security.
In Mauritania, Gambia and Senegal, where he was looking for solutions to the migration crisis in the Canary Islands – the number of migrants landing there has doubled since the start of the year, with 27,000 arrivals – Sanchez extolled the benefits of immigration, provided it is legal. "The contribution of migrant workers to our economy, our social system and the sustainability of our pensions is fundamental. For Spain, migration is synonymous with wealth, development and prosperity," he said in Nouakchott. "Contrary to the rhetoric which, unfortunately, is starting to gain ground in Europe, migration is not a problem," Sanchez continued. "It's a necessity, which implies certain problems. That's why we need to manage the phenomenon of migration in a humane, safe and orderly way, for the benefit of our respective societies."
