The European Union and Tunisia have reached an agreement on migration, a spokesman for Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced. He flew to the North African country on Sunday together with President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to clear the last obstacles.
There was already optimism beforehand that an agreement would be reached with President Kais Saied. In exchange for financial support, the Tunisian government will take measures to stop the clandestine crossing of migrants by, among other things, better guarding its own borders. In addition, agreements are also made about other matters. Tunisia needs help because the country’s economy is in dire straits.
The trio was also in Tunisia more than a month ago. At that time, it was not possible to reach an agreement on migration, but the first agreements were already made. Many migrants depart from Tunisia by boat to Europe, mainly to Italy.
Tunisia was then promised 900 million euros in financial aid. Another 100 million would soon become available for border control and returning migrants. To tackle the first problems, the country immediately received 150 million.
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Blueprint
According to insiders, one of the problems was that much of the EU money, in the form of loans, is tied to a $1.9 billion reform program from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The spending of the 100 million was also still being negotiated.
The Tunisia deal is now being presented to the EU countries. Brussels wants to reach agreements of this kind with more countries around Europe. The deal with Tunisia should serve as a kind of blueprint, said Von der Leyen at the end of last week. In 2016, the EU signed a migration deal with Turkey.
The deal has also drawn criticism. The autocratic president Saied suppresses the opposition. There is also criticism of the treatment of migrants in Tunisia. Earlier this month, hundreds of migrants were sent to the desert on the border with Libya after disturbances in Sfax.
‘helpful’
Rutte indicated a month and a half ago that he was willing to go to Tunisia if his presence would be ‘helpful’. The prime minister and VVD party leader promised his party in November to make a personal effort to ‘substantially’ reduce migration, and reaffirmed that ‘commitment’ last the first weekend of July.
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