BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Spain will receive 356 million euros (307 million pounds) in EU funds to buy more patrol boats and aircraft to keep illegal immigrants from reaching the wealthy 27-nation bloc, the EU executive said Monday.
Spain has long been a port of entry for immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa trying to reach Europe in a perilous journey on often rickety boats. Thousands are believed to drown in the attempt.
The cash will also finance other border security measures including helping Spain to bolster surveillance off the Canary Islands, Ibiza, Valencia and Alicante and to train border guards, the EU executive said.
Madrid has beefed up its border surveillance over the past few years, as the fight against illegal migration has become a priority for the EU as a whole, which wants to protect its largely border-free territory.
Spain's Interior Ministry has estimated that between January and August the number of illegal immigrants reaching its shores by boat fell by 8 percent compared with a year earlier.
The EU has earmarked over 1.80 billion euros for its 2007-2013 border protection fund, 825 million euros for the integration of migrants, 676 million euros for the expulsion or voluntary returns of refugees, and 628 million euros to help EU states take care of refugees.
The European Commission estimates that there are up to 8 million illegal migrants in the bloc.
(Reporting by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Mark John and Katie Nguyen)
