Algeria and ICMPD Strengthen Cooperation in the Mediterranean Region
In a step toward deepening migration cooperation in the Mediterranean region, high-level representatives from Algeria and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) reaffirmed their joint determination at a meeting in Malta. The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the first project steering committee of the Algerian-ICMPD cooperation, promises to significantly improve migration management capabilities in the region.
Mr. Michael Spindelegger (r.), Director General of ICMPD, and Mr. Rachid Meddah (l.), Director General of the Migration Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Algeria. / Picture: © ICMPD - International Centre for Migration Policy Development / Internationales Zentrum für Migrationspolitikentwicklung
Michael Spindelegger, Director General of ICMPD, and his deputy Sedef Dearing met with Rachid Meddah, Director General of the Migration Department at the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad. The talks focused on the “Training Institute on Migration Capacity Partnership for the Mediterranean (MCP Med TI)”. All parties recognized the institute's great potential to serve as a regional hub for capacity building in migration management. The Algerian delegation also emphasized its commitment to supporting the operational development and sustainability of the training institute.
The MCP Med TI, headquartered in Malta, was officially opened in December 2021 and is designed as a center of professional excellence in the field of migration governance. It offers accredited training and courses to non-EU partner countries in the southern Mediterranean region, providing European-recognized qualifications. The institute is already working with countries such as Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Lebanon, and Tunisia to professionalize their migration actors.
The current cooperation project between Algeria and the ICMPD is co-financed by the governments of Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Representatives of the donor countries, including Victor Cramer, Deputy Director General at the Dutch Ministry of Asylum and Migration, and Kim Sitzler, Migration Officer for North Africa at the Swiss Embassy in Tunis, were also present at the meeting. They reaffirmed their strong support for this strategic partnership and its long-term goals.
The deepened cooperation in the field of migration governance represents a groundbreaking form of international cooperation in the Algerian context. It is based on mutual trust, institutional ownership, and a forward-looking strategic vision. According to ICMPD, this is a remarkable approach, as Algeria has traditionally been considered a transit country for migrants, but has increasingly become a host country due to its strategic location, economic development, and stability. The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already emphasized in previous statements that Algeria's approach is based on humanitarian principles and combating the root causes of irregular migration, without using the issue as a political lever.
An official project launch in Algiers is expected to be the next milestone in the cooperation, with all partners coming together again to reaffirm their commitment. The ICMPD praised Algeria's leadership and the active participation of both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad and the Ministry of the Interior, local authorities, and spatial planning. This cooperation underscores the growing awareness of the importance of a coordinated and capacity-based approach to addressing the complex challenges of migration in the Mediterranean region.