The European Commission launched a new partnership with Mauritania to promote legal migration and combat smuggling and human trafficking, the EU authority said on Thursday.
Mauritania is also to be supported in the reception of refugees.
The agreement comes amid a steep increase in the number of migrants setting off from the country in north-western Africa, setting out for Spain's Canary Islands.
According to official Spanish figures, more than 7,000 people have been counted since the beginning of the year. Most of them travelled from Africa across the open Atlantic to the islands in small, barely seaworthy boats. This was more than in the entire first half of 2023, which also saw a sharp increase in arrivals.
In February, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised Mauritania financial support worth €210 million ($229 million), to be used for migration and humanitarian aid for migrants.
According to the European Commission, the new migration agreement should also create new employment opportunities in the country and make it easier for companies to raise capital. Young people's qualifications are also to be improved, which should benefit women in particular, the commission said.
The European Commission now wants to work together with its Mauritanian partners to implement the joint declaration.