On Tuesday 23 January, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, defended to the members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties the Commission’s action alongside Tunisia in implementing the memorandum of understanding signed between the President, Kais Saied, and the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in the summer of 2023 (see EUROPE 13224/3).
This memorandum of understanding, which has been criticised by NGOs denouncing the cooperation with the Tunisian president, but also by the Member States because it was signed without their prior consultation, covers five chapters, notably on macroeconomic aid and cooperation in the energy sector. LIBE MEPs focused on migration and the €105 million earmarked to prevent migrants from leaving Tunisia for the EU.
Despite initial controversy, the agreement is working, the Commissioner said, citing a reduction in departures of “80 to 90%” by the end of 2023 compared to the previous year.
Numbers of crossings had fallen thanks to the action of the Tunisian “coastguards”, and not just because of the generally poorer weather conditions at the end of the year, the Commissioner claimed, drawing on data from September.
The Commissioner also brushed aside accusations made by Dutch Greens/EFA MEP Tineke Strik of financing violations of migrants’ rights and pushbacks in the desert. “That’s completely untrue”, she replied, assuring her that the European Commission applied zero tolerance to the use of European funds that could be misappropriated to violate fundamental rights.
The money is also going to organisations such as the International Organization for Migration and the UNHCR, which have decided to step up their presence and activities in the country. The Commissioner acknowledged, however, that the situation remains difficult in Sfax because of the violence and the lack of accommodation for migrants. Nevertheless, the number of refugees taken in by the UNHCR has also increased, she pointed out, refusing to allow it to be said that the EU is financing “the deportation and mistreatment of migrants”.
The Commissioner also mentioned new programmes for the voluntary return of migrants from Tunisia, given that the number of departures from this country, which until now has been a country of origin rather than a transit country for migrants, had increased by more than 200% in 2023 and even 400% compared to 2022 and 2021.
Tunisia is “not equipped” to deal with these situations and “we’re here to help”, the Commissioner also explained from the outset, telling MEPs that a similar arrangement with Egypt was close to completion.
For his part, the Chair of Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, Udo Bullmann (S&D, German), told a separate event that the agreement was “a misguided attempt to collaborate with neighbouring countries”.
In his view, the agreement could have been reached in a different way, on a different basis and with different components. “I’m not convinced that the text Ms von der Leyen proposed was the only one possible”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with Camille Cerise Gessant)