The EU is making the same mistake with Tunisia as it was with Turkey. Instead of promoting the rule of law, democracy and the economy and thus fighting the reasons for migration, it makes itself vulnerable to political blackmail.
One billion euros for Tunisia: That is the EU’s answer to the question of how the increasing flow of irregular boat migrants from the North African country to Italy can be stemmed. Because Tunisia is on the brink. The World Bank speaks of a “lost decade” since 2011, with an anemic 1.7 percent growth on average – even before the pandemic. But the way Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the EU Commission, is trying to sell this result of her trip to Tunis as an “important milestone in our relationship” is unworthy of the EU, the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
As in 2016 in the case of Turkey, the Europeans are trying to persuade an undemocratic regime to curb migration for money. In the case of Turkey, that cost more than six billion euros and it only worked for a short time. Without democracy and the rule of law, such countries will always play cat and mouse with the EU – with migration as a means of pressure.
oliver.grimm@diepresse.com
2023-06-12 17:28:42
#Money #autocrats #solve #migration #crisis
