| Description |
During 2006 the Canary Islands received more than 30,000 boat people from the West African coasts. The so-called “cayuco crisis” resulted in institutional and or-ganizational improvement in the management of irre-gular migration flows through the Canaries Regional Coordination Centre, established in 2006. The centre coordinates the interception, retention and repatriation provisions and integrates several institutional actors like Frontex, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NGOs. The paper describes this new institutional structure, its functions, actions and organi-zation. Several years have passed since 2006 and arrivals have dropped to low levels. There are lessons to be drawn from the organizational innovation experience in the Canary Islands. The paper identifies improvements and shortcomings in managing irregular migration flows.
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