If Morocco appears to be Africa’s gateway to Europe, it
is a gateway that until today has been used primarily by
Moroccans – more than 3 million Moroccans currently live
in EU countries such as France, Spain and Italy. The number
of other nationalities entering Europe through Morocco has
seldom exceeded 20,000 annually and was no more than 7,300
in 2014. Thus, while Morocco is a country of migrant departure,
it is only a minor host/transit country for migrants in search
of better living conditions outside of their region of origin.
Such a configuration has been the basis of recent Moroccan
migration policy.