The 2024 agreement between the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (Frontex) and Spain was renewed at the last moment on Monday (January 29). Meanwhile, Spain registered a new record of arrivals last weekend with over 1,200 migrants reaching the Canary Islands.
On Monday the Spanish government and Frontex signed an agreement at the eleventh hour to resume joint operations against irregular migration in the Alboran Sea and off the coasts of the Canary Islands.
These operations were suspended on January 24 after Spain failed to agree to Frontex's proposed plan for the year.
In the meantime, the migration wave has not stopped: A record 1,200 migrants disembarked in the Canary Islands last weekend.
Data ownership issue overcome
Spain was the only EU country to fail to sign the Frontex agreement within the set deadline. The country had concerns over "losing ownership of its responsibility" for migrant data, as indicated by sources at the Spanish Ministry of Interior reported by the daily Spanish newspaper El Pais.
The compromise reached Monday gives Spain full control of the most sensitive migrant data, El Pais reports.
Frontex works jointly with Madrid to patrol the sea and sky.
At least five migrants died over the weekend
Over 1,200 migrants arrived on dinghies and rafts to Canary Islands ports over the weekend, according to sources of the maritime rescue team.
Six boats carrying 600 migrants altogether reached the islands of El Hierro, Tenerife and Gran Canaria on Saturday.
Another 600 sub-Saharan migrants -- among them many women and children -- disembarked from six dinghies and boats at dawn on Sunday, reaching the islands of El Hierro and Gran Canaria.
According to witness accounts, at least four people died during the sea crossing from North Africa to the archipelago. A fifth person died while being treated at the hospital after arriving at El Hierro.
Over the first weeks of January, at least 4,400 migrants reached the Spanish coasts.
The figure is higher than the total of 4,141 migrants who arrived in the other four Mediterranean countries: Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Malta, according to figures shared by the UN Refugee Agency.
Frontex reports indicate the West African route to the Canary Islands has registered the highest increment of irregular migration flows of all migration routes to the continent.
In 2023 over 40,403 migrants reached the archipelago, an increase of 161 percent compared to 2022.