On Wednesday 23 October, the European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, criticised the European Commission “for its lack of transparency regarding the human rights information on which it drew before signing an agreement with Tunisia, which includes EU funds for border management”.
She also asked the Commission to define explicit criteria for suspending EU funding in the event of violations.
“The Commission has not published any information on the risk management exercise on which it based the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding, despite public concerns about the human rights situation in Tunisia, particularly with regard to the treatment of migrants” she says.
However, the Commission had already carried out a similar evaluation exercise. “While it is positive that the Commission has verified the human rights situation in Tunisia, including through reports from the EU delegation in the country, a formal assessment of the agreement’s impact on human rights would have been preferable”.
The Ombudsman stresses that the Commission has an obligation to ensure that EU funds do not support actions that violate human rights.
“The EU is a strong promoter and strongly advocates for the respect of human rights across the world, including in Tunisia. And of course, we also, as we’ve mentioned, take note of the decision and suggestions for improvement, and we reiterate our full commitment to transparency and accountability”, the Commission responded.
Further information: https://aeur.eu/f/dzw (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)