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Público reports that the number of migrants in open boats and other improvised craft landing on the Spanish coast has reached an "all-time low." In January and February of 2010, 126 people made use of unauthorized sea crossings to enter Spain, "a reduction of 91%" on the figure for the same period in the previous year. The record drop in numbers is due to the difficult situation in the Spanish labour market and an increase in the interception of migrants by Spain's SIVE (Integrated System of External Vigilance) and the EU's FRONTEX (the European agency for external borders). The Spanish government has also emphasized the role played by "cooperation agreements with Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal." However, several NGOs have criticized the EU for not including provisions for the respect of basic human rights in these agreements, which "offer development aid in exchange for tighter controls on craft putting to sea."
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