EU Commission defends migration partnership with Tunisia

The European Commission has defended the migration partnership agreed in July with Tunisia in the face of criticism from MEPs, claiming that collaboration with this nation had increased boat interceptions and rescues this year.

Thousands of migrants who travel across the central Mediterranean to Europe and land in Italy often leave from Tunisia and Libya.

On the one hand, the left and the Greens criticize the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding because they disagree with the authoritarianism of President Kais Saied and the treatment of sub-Saharan migrants in this country.

The political right and far right, however, think that its implementation is insufficient to reduce the number of refugees entering Europe.

European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi recognized that “a number of recent developments were worrying” at a plenary meeting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

However, he said that “the difficult situation of migrants stuck in border regions (Tunisia with Libya and Algeria) or the high number of irregular arrivals (in the EU) illustrate the urgency of redoubled efforts and close cooperation in this matter.”

He indicated that this year, “thanks to cooperation” with the EU, the Tunisian coast guard had carried out “nearly 24,000 interceptions of boats” carrying migrants, “compared to 9,376 in 2022.”

The European Commissioner indicated that “the emphasis was placed on rapid implementation” of this partnership, also relating in particular to macro-economic stability, trade and investments.

“The socio-economic situation (in Tunisia) makes it all the more relevant for the European Union to engage strongly in the region”, he said.

“This partnership is important in the long term, but it must also produce results in the short term”, said Dutch MEP Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, right). “We are in September and already the number of arrivals in Europe via the central Mediterranean is at the same level as for the whole of last year”, he said.

Frenchman Thierry Mariani (ID, far right) judged that there was an “urgent need to finalize” this partnership.

Among the Greens, the Dutch Tineke Strik denounced a “dirty deal with the implacable dictator Saied”, which “incites violence against black migrants”.