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THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
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the fight against the mafias and networks that
traffic in human beings, whether these are
women or irregular migrants. In this respect, co-
operation with the countries of origin and tran-
sit is essential. An example is the excellent coop-
eration between Spain and Senegal. Frontex has
a major role to play in this regard. Finally, there
is co-development, understood as joint work
between the EU and the countries of origin of
migratory movements to offer opportunities for
work and subsistence to these populations. The
ultimate goal is for emigration to be an option,
not an obligation in response to a total lack of
opportunities in the country of origin. As a cor-
ollary of the above, there is also a need for a
balanced and consistent distribution of the re-
ception of asylum seekers.
The civil wars in Libya, Syria and Iraq that
have led to a lack of control by these states over
their territory and borders mean that we should
expect the migration routes with their origins in
these countries to continue to intensify in the
coming years, in combination with two new mi-
gration phenomena that have appeared in re-
cent months: boats packed with irregular mi-
grants set adrift on the sea, and return trips by
European citizens to regions controlled by Al-
Qaeda, DAESH or their satellites. The coming
months will no doubt be characterized by de-
bate as to the best way to control these jour-
neys without abusing citizens’ privacy or impos-
ing unjustified restrictions on our rights and
freedoms.