Joint Communiqué
1.    A high-level dialogue on migration was held in Abidjan on 16 April 2016 between H.E. Mr Abdallah Albert Toikeusse Mabri, Côte d’Ivoire's Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr Bert Koenders, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, who was visiting Côte d’Ivoire on behalf of Ms Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.
2.    This dialogue is part of the follow-up to the Valletta Summit of 11 and 12 November 2015 during which reciprocal commitments were made on the joint management of all aspects of migration flows, in particular by stepping up action to combat illegal immigration. During the meeting, Mr Neven Mimica, the Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, and H.E. Mr Alassane Ouattara, President of Côte d’Ivoire, noted the convergence of their views.
3.    Côte d’Ivoire and the European Union have enjoyed a long and close relationship which they have maintained through good times and bad. Together with its Member States, the European Union is the leading donor of aid to Côte d'Ivoire.
4.    Recognising that Côte d'Ivoire's 2014-2024 National Strategy on Migration Policy, once adopted, will provide a point of reference for future action, the European Union is ready to work with the Ivorian Government on implementing the five priorities agreed in Valletta:
- Addressing the root causes of migration: the European Union welcomes Côte d'Ivoire's performance in terms of economic growth. It notes its substantial support in the fields of vocational training and youth employment, security and the rule of law, social infrastructure, agriculture and consolidation of the system of rural land tenure, and the energy sector. All these areas are among the priorities of the Ivorian Government as reflected in the National Development Plans for 2012-2015 and 2016-2020. The European Union undertakes, in particular, to support the introduction of the 2016-2020 NDP by facilitating the promotion of investments by EU private businesses, particularly in the raw materials processing sector. The European Union further undertakes to support initiatives by Côte d'Ivoire in the area of youth employment under the action plan it has developed.
- Cooperation on legal migration and mobility: Côte d'Ivoire and the European Union note that the EU policy on the subject is open as regards short stays, family reunification and student visas. 80 000 Ivorians are now legally resident in the European Union and more than 7 000 new residence permits are issued each year. To make this favourable situation sustainable, which will require the establishment of reliable processes, the European Union and Côte d’Ivoire are determined to tackle the high rate of document fraud. The European Union could also cooperate on the modernisation of the civil registry in Côte d’Ivoire and of the mechanisms for monitoring movements of goods and persons at borders.
The parties believe that fresh efforts must be made to extend the scope for legal mobility, in particular by encouraging the mobility and future career prospects of students and scientists through the annual Erasmus+ calls and Marie Sklodowska-Curie initiatives.
- Protection and asylum: the European Union and Côte d’Ivoire have worked together, particularly in the area of humanitarian assistance, to reduce tensions in the west, to support the most vulnerable groups and to improve food security: EUR 35 million has been committed by the European Union over the period 2012-2015. The European Union notes with satisfaction that the return of Ivorian refugees from neighbouring countries has been stepped up. It encourages refugees still present in these countries to follow this trend. 
- Preventing irregular migration, migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings: Côte d’Ivoire expresses its strong desire to adopt preventive and penal measures to combat such activities and the European Union will help it to do this, in particular by assisting Côte d’Ivoire in its efforts through support for strengthening border management. The European Union will also back initiatives designed to raise awareness of efforts to combat these scourges.
- Readmission and reintegration: the European Union and Côte d’Ivoire agree that the implementation of an effective policy for the systematic return of irregular migrants is a key aspect of managing migration and the best way of discouraging people from putting their lives in danger. 
 The European Union notes that, on the basis of its figures, very few Ivorian nationals subject to deportation decisions have actually been deported, with a return rate of around 14%. In the framework of its relations with the Member States of the European Union, Côte d’Ivoire undertakes, for its part, to verify these figures and to increase its cooperation, particularly by improving procedures for the identification of illegal residents, including through the identification missions which it already conducts in Europe and that it will step up, and through the issue of consular laissez-passers. For its part, the European Union confirms its readiness to support the return of irregular Ivorian migrants by introducing aid for training and reintegration.
5.    The European Union confirms that Côte d’Ivoire can benefit from the Trust Fund launched at the Valletta Summit through region-wide projects.
6.    Both parties agree to establish a permanent technical mechanism for the assessment and follow-up of these commitments, and to address migration as part of the political dialogue.