The Euro-Mediterranean network for human rights, EuroMed Rights, and the association PRO ASYL are protesting against the German plan "of externalising the protection" of refugees, which is aimed at "reproducing the cooperation between the EU and Turkey". This would be a "dangerous approach", they said on Friday 3 March, during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Tunis.
After visiting Cairo on the same subject, Merkel spoke in Tunisia about reception centres being set up, which could be financed by Germany. This initiative arouses strong opposition from civil society organisations, EuroMed Rights and PRO ASYL state. In support of their protest, they speak of a "Franco-German note" that was uncovered in mid-February and that sets out the modalities for the plan.
The two organisations also speak out against "the intolerable pressure put on Tunisia and the other countries in the region, including making access to development assistance conditional, so that they alone are responsible for the reception of migrants and refugees, at the cost of serious violations of their rights". EuroMed Rights and PRO ASYL state that "any attempt to suspend the legal guarantees and thus the protection of refugees by claiming a massive inflow, is scandalous". The two organisations also call on the Tunisian government not to adopt such an "Australian solution", which would amount to "subcontracting the requests for asylum to the [EU's] neighbouring countries". (Original version in French by Fathi B’Chir)