12.06.2023
European leaders visited the North African country hoping to to reach an agreement between the tunisian government and the International Monetary Fund.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni , her Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tried to make progress in unblocking IMF loans to the country. Talks between Tunis and the IMF have been stalled for months amid a financial crisis, with Tunisia’s President Kais Saied rejecting the economic reforms requested by IMF to enable the loans. The European Union has said that it would support Tunisia on the condition that the country finalizes the IMF bailout.
The EU directly connects the economic hardships of Tunisia to the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea for Europe. The EU is considering providing more than €1 billion ($1.7 billion) in aid to Tunisia and help it deal with the migration crisis, von der Leyen said during the visit. Von der Leyen said that the funds could be ready “as soon as the necessary agreement is found,” without giving a precise timeline. A further €105m would be invested in a new partnership with Tunisia to combat people smuggling, human trafficking and illegal sea crossings.
But, before the european leaders’ visit, Saied said that Tunisia would not accept becoming a border guard for other countries. Yet, a first draft of a Turkey-style border agreement with Tunisia will be available at the European Council in Brussels at the end of June.
Italy is the main country in Europe where immigrants arrive from the Mediterranean Sea on small boats from countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Libya. The Italian government has reported that as many as 400,000 people are forecasted to enter Italy from North Africa so far this year. There has been a surge in the number of people making the perilous journey in 2023, particularly from Tunisia.
GSPI
