Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni returned to Tunisia this Sunday, the second time she has visited the North African country in just one week. On this occasion she has not gone alone, but she has been accompanied by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and by the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte. Together they have offered a comprehensive package of financial assistance to guarantee the economic stability of the North African country in exchange for an agreement on migration against human trafficking.
The framework of the visit is clear. Italy has more than 51,000 arrivals of migrants to its shores so far this year, many more than those who arrived in the first six months of 2022, 19,692. Most come from Libya but also from Tunisia, where financial instability and President Kais Sayed’s racist comments have pushed many sub-Saharan migrants in the country to want to head for European routes. In exchange for greater democratic and economic guarantees, Brussels agrees first to guarantee European aid, and then to try to unblock the almost 2,000 million dollars of aid from the International Monetary Fund to avoid the bankruptcy of the country.
In this lightning trip, Von der Leyen has broken down a total of five pillars of European financing in the sector of digitization, energy, migration, human exchange and development, the last of which contemplates the largest financing of the EU of 900 million euros, plus 150 million in budgetary support, but only if it is conditional on the IMF loan that Sayed has not yet ratified because he does not agree with the reforms that are required of him because they would take away part of the consensus that he enjoys in the country. Including a series of cuts to the unproductive public system and the privatization of state companies.
“We both have a broad interest in breaking the cynical business model of smuggling and traffickers, who deliberately put human lives at risk for profit, and we will work on an anti-trafficking associative operation,” said Von der Leyen in Tunis, where he announced 100 million assistance for rescue in the Mediterranean and return. “As part of our joint work on migration, the fight against irregular migration to and from Tunisia and the prevention of loss of life at sea is a common priority, including the fight against smugglers and human traffickers, strengthening of border management, registration and return in line with respect for human rights,” they said in a joint statement.
The president of the European Commission has also announced the investment of 150 million in the Medusa project, a submarine fiber optic cable that links the two shores of the Mediterranean, and financing to renew energy connections and work with Tunisia as a producer of clean energy that can export to Europe.
The Italian leader has also announced the organization of an international forum in Rome with the countries affected by the rebound in the Central Mediterranean. Meloni, the one most interested in ensuring that there is no turbulence in Tunisia, wanted to reach the European summit at the end of June, where the issue of immigration will be addressed, with a memorandum already signed, she believes that this trip – and the presence of Von der Leyen and Rutte in Tunisia – is a “very important step towards the creation of a true alliance with the EU that can deal with both the migration and development crises on both shores of the Mediterranean in an integrated way.”
“With Tunisia we share much more than geographical proximity. We share history. Since 2011, the EU has been supporting Tunisia on its journey to democracy. It is a long and sometimes difficult path, but its difficulties can be overcome,” said Von der Leyen.
