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Spain appears to have stemmed a surge in illegal migration that made it Europe's main entry point for sea arrivals, after boosting joint efforts with neighboring Morocco to clamp down on the flow.

The country, which holds a national election Sunday, saw nearly 60,000 people reach its shores irregularly in 2018, most from Morocco and West Africa. But sea arrivals have plummeted since February.

While the migrant flow often fluctuates due to weather and other factors, an internal European Union report obtained by The Associated Press suggests intensified efforts to stop the migrants before they're able to reach European waters are paying off.

The report doesn't specify what Morocco did to hold back migrants or what it got in return other than "explicit recognition and support" from the Spanish government and the EU's executive Commission in Brussels.