Más de 16.000 marroquíes participarán en la nueva edición del programa de migración circular del Ministerio de Inclusión

The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, through the State Secretariat for Migration, has launched a new edition of the circular migration program of Collective Management of Contracting in Origin (GECCO) that will bring more than 16,000 Moroccans to work in different agricultural campaigns in Spain. This has been agreed at the Coordination Meeting for the Circular Migration Agreement between the kingdoms of Spain and Morocco, which was recently held in Tangier (Morocco), with representatives of the governments of Spain and Morocco, as well as the business organizations Asaja, Freshuelva, Upa, Federation of Cooperatives of Andalusia, Association of Citrus Growers (APH) and Fresón de Palos.

In this way, the largest contingent of this 22/23 campaign will be made up of 15,350 people who can be hired at source and who will carry out agricultural work, mainly collecting strawberries, in the province of Huelva. This figure represents an increase of 5,000 more people than was initially planned, recovering almost the figures prior to the pandemic.

In addition, it has also been agreed that there will be a contingent of 1,000 people to perform field tasks in the provinces of Albacete (Castilla-La Mancha) and Segovia (Castilla y León). In total, it is estimated that the GECCO circular migration program will hire a total of 16,350 people at source for the 22/23 campaign.

The GECCO order is 21 years old, being one of the most consolidated and successful examples recognized at European level. In 2020, the most critical year for the pandemic, it demonstrated its strength thanks to the effort of all parties to keep it in operation.

Likewise, the balance sheet of the 2021/22 Campaign and the design of the strategies for the 2023 Campaign have been carried out, where the system of information to working people and the novelties in the issuance of work and residence permits have been detailed. Likewise, measures have been implemented to improve the issuance of visas, as well as the correct organization of departure trips and conditions for entering Spanish territory, responding to the common objective of orderly, regular and safe circular migration.

The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration is negotiating with different countries to study the possibility of opening other circular migration projects under the GECCO order.