Tunisia and EU sign "strategic partnership" agreement on economy and migration

Tunisia and the European Union (EU) signed a memorandum of understanding at the Carthage Palace on Sunday to establish a "strategic and comprehensive partnership" focusing on economic development, renewable energy, combating irregular migration, and providing assistance to the African country in facing severe economic challenges.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, welcomed the agreement, which aims to "invest in shared prosperity" and includes "five pillars," including migration issues.

Tunisia serves as a major departure point for irregular migrants heading towards the Italian coast.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni accompanied the European officials on this visit, their second to Tunisia. The three leaders made an initial visit a month ago during which they proposed this partnership.

The five pillars include "macroeconomic stability, trade and investments, the transition to green energy, bringing people closer together, and migration," according to the Commission's statement.

Meloni stated that the agreement is "an important new step in dealing with the migration crisis comprehensively." She also invited Tunisian President Kais Saied to participate in an international conference on migration to be held in Rome the following Sunday.

Specifically, the extension of the Erasmus+ program for Tunisia is planned, along with providing €65 million in assistance to 80 schools.

Regarding energy, von der Leyen affirmed that the EU wants to support the development of renewable energy in the Maghreb country, which has "enormous potential."

Meloni considered the partnership between Tunisia and the EU as a "model for establishing new relations with North Africa."

As for migration, Rutte stated that the agreement will enable "better control over irregular migration."

Saied raised this issue with his visitors, calling for a "collective agreement on irregular migration and (forced) displacement carried out by criminal networks."

Moreover, he stated, "The Tunisians have given these migrants everything they can with unlimited generosity." President Saied faced severe criticism due to the manner in which hundreds of migrants were detained in Tunisia and then "deported," according to non-governmental organizations, to areas along the borders with Algeria and Libya, where they were abandoned without water, food, or shelter.

The Libyan authorities announced on Sunday that they had rescued migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa in a desert area near the Tunisian border. Tunisian authorities had transported them to this remote location, where they were left without water, food, or shelter, according to some of those rescued.

The Libyan border guards stated that they have recently rescued at least 50 migrants who were abandoned to their fate under the scorching sun and temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.

Increasingly, there has been a rise in hate speech towards foreigners in Tunisia since Saied criticized irregular migration in February.

The agreement between Brussels and Tunisia includes assistance worth €105 million to combat irregular migration.

The European Union has also pledged direct budgetary support of €150 million in 2023, as Tunisia faces a liquidity shortage that leads to regular shortages of essential goods purchased directly by the state.

During their first visit, the three European officials spoke about the bloc lending Tunisia up to €900 million to support the country's overall finances in the coming years.

Von der Leyen stated on Sunday that Brussels is still "ready to provide this assistance once the conditions are met." However, this "assistance" is conditional on an agreement between Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new loan worth $2 billion, a file that has been stalled for months.

Saied rejects two essential conditions in the agreement with the IMF, which involve lifting subsidies on essential products and restructuring state-owned institutions facing difficulties.

He stated on Sunday that it is necessary to find new means of cooperation outside the framework of the IMF.

 

 

 

 

AFP