The EU (in the form of the European Commission) and Tunisia entered talks in Tunis on Wednesday 12 October on a mobility agreement to facilitate short-stay visas for various categories of Tunisians, such as business men, liberal professions, students, and media workers, in return for Tunisia's commitment to sign a readmission agreement.
This sensitive subject is generally badly received by most countries in the region, and the two sides will need to define procedures in order to clarify, simplify and speed up cooperation in this domain. Like Morocco, where readmission talks have not yet reached a conclusion, Tunisia will only agree to having its own nationals repatriated. Immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa are forced to travel through the Maghreb.
In a communication of 29 September 2016 that will be examined by the Council on 17 October, the European Commission says it is important to intensify cooperation between the EU and Tunisia in the domain of migration. Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said the conclusion of a readmission agreement will help better prevent the risk and manage the consequences of illegal immigration from Tunisia.
The Commission is considering what it calls an integrated, global approach to boost resilience in a social and economic context of fragile security characterised by high unemployment, especially among young Tunisians. More clearly, this means stemming the flow of difficult-to-control migration.
The intention to negotiate such a deal was stated in a joint statement issued on 3 March 2014 by ten member states, (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom) and Tunisia. Civil society is invooved in the talks. Tripartite (EU-Tunisia and associations) meetings took place on 22 April and Monday 1o October to clarify what is at stake.
In order to facilitate a meeting of minds, a project entitled Lemma - Ensemble pour la mobilité was granted €5 million in funding by Brussels to boost cooperation between European and Tunisian public administrations. The European Commission says action taking place bilaterally and regionally will soon be accompanied by important support for Tunisia from the emergency trust fund for stability and for fighting the underlying causes of illegal migration and displacement of people in Africa. The subject is still being discussed. (Original version in French by Fathi B’Chir)