EU, Tunisia sign MOU for ‘strategic and comprehensive partnership” with migration in mind

Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/eudebates Tunisia, together with Libya, is considered one of the main gateways for asylum seekers who wish to reach European shores. Some of these migrants are Tunisian nationals who flee the country's repressive policies, but others come from faraway places such as Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Due to its geographic proximity, Italy represents, in the vast majority of cases, the first destination point for the thousands of migrants who every month attempt to cross the dangerous Mediterranean route, often after having paid an exorbitant amount of money to board an overcrowded boat with squalid conditions. According to Frontex, last year saw more than 102,000 illegal border crossings through the Central Mediterranean, a 51% rise compared to 2021. Italy is struggling to cope with this surge in arrivals and has declared a state of emergency to deploy extra resources. This is why migration is a key pillar in the memorandum, with an initial allocation of €105 million to combat anti-smuggling operations, reinforce border management and speed up the return of asylum seekers whose applications are denied. The money will be provided to the Tunisian authorities in the form of search-and-rescue boats, jeeps, radars, drones and other types of patrolling equipment, and to international organisations that work on the ground, such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). But the disbursement of the funds will not be linked to any numerical target of annual readmissions or reduction of arrivals; and it will not have additional human rights provisions on top of the traditional clauses the EU attaches to its foreign aid programmes, despite mounting evidence of pushbacks and violent treatment against black migrants. "We don't wire money to authorities to do as they please," said a senior EU official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to defend the memorandum's most sensitive aspects. "This is not a blank cheque at all." The senior official insisted Tunisia would only be expected to accept the return of its own nationals – not of the thousands of asylum seekers who travel through the country in a bid to reach the bloc, something which will be done on a voluntary basis with IOM and UNCHR support. Similarly, Tunisia will not be asked to host in its territory other nationalities that have been denied a chance to seek refuge in the bloc. "Tunisia is not foreseen to be a collecting point for irregular migrants," the official said, recalling a similar statement previously made by the Tunisian government. In parallel, the EU will strive to make it easier for highly-skilled Tunisians to move to the bloc for work through legal pathways and so-called "talent partnerships." Germany, France and Belgium have already offered 300 positions as part of this initiative, the official said, with a goal to get to 700 by the end of the year. Following weeks of intense negotiations, the European Union and Tunisia have finally signed a memorandum of understanding covering topics ranging from migration to economic cooperation. The deal was unveiled on Sunday after a meeting in Tunis between Tunisian President Kais Saied and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was joined by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. "In times of geopolitical uncertainties, it is important to deepen cooperation with our strategic partners," von der Leyen said, without taking any questions from the press. The memorandum's official presentation had been preceded by a flurry of speculation and media reports over how much taxpayers' money the European Union, a staunch supporter of human rights, would be willing to disburse to Tunisia, whose government has been repeatedly accused – including by the European Parliament– of cracking down on freedom of expression, judicial independence and civil society. President Saied, in particular, has been criticised for steering the country back into authoritarianism and spreading racist claims against African migrants using talking points that echo the great replacement, the far-right (and baseless) conspiracy theory that proclaims elites are actively replacing native populations with black people. Stay connected with us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eudebates.tv/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/eudebates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eudebates.tv/ #eudebates the unique initiative aiming to promote debate, dialogue, knowledge, participation and communication among citizens. #Migration #Tunisia #migrants #Libya #illegalmigration #migrantworkers #FRONTEX #mediterranean #Brussels #Italy #Meloni #Giorgia_Meloni #Greece

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