Europe’s latest migration partnership with Mauritania has been officially launched amid an increase in the number of migrants setting off from the West African country in hopes of reaching the Canary Islands.

The migration partnership with Mauritania is intended to "promote legal migration and combat smuggling and human trafficking," according to a March 7 EU press release.

European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson flew to the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott to sign the agreement. On Thursday, she called the partnership "a milestone for a stronger cooperation on migration" on her X (formerly known as Twitter) page.

Five key pillars of cooperation

Spanish Foreign Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska and the EU’s Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole De Moor joined Johansson for the signing.

The partnership will seek to address five key pillars, according to the EU press release.

The first is to create job opportunities. The second is to help Mauritania address refugee arrivals and increase reception capacity for the most vulnerable. As part of efforts to promote "legal migration," the EU says it wants to encourage "students, researchers and entrepreneurs."

Also read: Spain-Africa cooperation prevented around 27,000 migrant arrivals

Cooperation to prevent irregular migration will also be stepped up -- plans for joint investigations and reinforced security and operational cooperation between the EU and Mauritania are in the works.

Lastly, Frontex will reinforce its cooperation in Mauritania "particularly through training and equipment" to increase search-and-rescue operations and strengthen the capacities of border management authorities.

Spanish marine rescue services and the border police will collaborate with the Mauritanians as part of the partnership, reported Spanish news agency EFE.

Increase in numbers attempting to leave Mauritania

Since the beginning of the year, more than 7,000 people have attempted to set off from Mauritania towards the Canary Islands, according to Spanish government figures reported by dpa.

These numbers are higher than the number of attempts made during the entire first half of 2023, reported dpa.

Earlier this week, four migrants were found dead when their boat arrived on one of the smallest Canary Islands, El Hierro. The four, according to reports, were originally from Mauritania. A funeral was held for them on March 7 and they were buried in a communal cemetery on El Pinar.

Last month, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, visited the West African nation and promised some €210 million in financial support to the country.

Generate employment opportunities

The money is earmarked to offer humanitarian aid for migrants in Mauritania and to help the country police migrants attempting to make the dangerous journey across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands.

The European Union hopes the migration partnership will also help generate employment opportunities in Mauritania and make it easier for companies to raise capital, reports dpa.

Some of the money will be set aside for education and job training, particularly for young women.

Bolster social and economic growth

The partnership establishes permanent lines of communication between Mauritania and the EU.

Some parts of the agreement are devoted to making it easier for skilled Mauritanians to migrate the EU legally.

But other parts outline measures to tighten the reins on irregular migration.

The EU and Mauritania have pledged to "strengthen cooperation on return and readmission" policies "concerning Mauritanians irregularly staying in the EU."

While officials signed the partnership agreement, a demonstration against the deal roared outside.

Some of the protestors expressed worries the EU would start sending back third country migrants to Mauritania, reported EFE. The Mauritanian government said no such plans were currently in the works.

With dpa and EFE