Updated:
The EU Commission has promised financial aid of up to 900 million euros to Tunisia, which is badly hit economically.
This article lies IPPEN.MEDIA as part of a cooperation with Europe. Table Professional Briefing before – first published him Europe.Table on June 12, 2023.
Asylum policy: new millions in aid for Tunisia
The EU Commission has promised financial aid of up to 900 million euros to Tunisia, which is badly hit economically. In view of the increasing number of Mediterranean migrants, Brussels is also hoping to work together with Tunisia to take more effective action against people smugglers and illegal crossings. For example, a good 100 million euros will be made available this year for search and rescue operations and the repatriation of migrants, announced EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday in Tunis after talks with President Kais Saied. This corresponds to three times the amount with which Brussels supported Tunis last year on average.
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Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also attended the meeting. Meloni in particular has long been pushing for an agreement with Tunisia to stop the migrant boats leaving there early on their way to southern Italy. The ultra-right politician spoke of an “important first step”.
President Saied: They are not Europe’s border police
Whether the deal goes through and whether agreements are reached with Tunisia in the detailed negotiations is likely to depend on Saied being accommodating. A loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the amount of 1.9 billion dollars is already hanging in the air because Saied does not want to make a binding commitment to the reforms required.
Saied ruled out his country’s role as border police for Europe. “We cannot fulfill a role (…) in which we guard their countries,” said Saied on Saturday after a visit to the coastal town of Sfax, from where smugglers regularly send out the sometimes unseaworthy and hopelessly overcrowded boats. Migrants are “unfortunately victims of a global system that treats them not as people but as mere numbers,” said Saied. dpa/rtr
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