On Friday 22 September, the European Commission announced that almost €127 million will be made available to support the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding with Tunisia and in line with the 10-point plan recently agreed with the Italian government in Lampedusa, an island facing an influx of migrants from Tunisia (see EUROPE 13252/7).
The money will be distributed as follows: €60 million in budget support for Tunisia and around €67 million for operational assistance measures in the field of migration.
Commission spokeswoman Ana Pisonero announced that these funds - which will be disbursed in the next few days - were a combination of ongoing programmes and the new €105 million support package for migration.
The Commission says this package will be used to refit search and rescue vessels, vehicles and other equipment for the Tunisian coast guard and navy, to protect migrants in Tunisia in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and to ensure the return of illegal migrants and their reintegration from Tunisia to their countries of origin, in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration. The provision of new vessels, thermal imaging cameras and other forms of operational assistance, as well as the necessary training, are also foreseen, said the Commission in its press release.
A delegation of EU officials will visit Tunisia next week to discuss the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding, in particular the priority actions. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)