Oct 11, 2023 at 7:12 PM Update: 19 minutes ago
Tunisia has returned 60 million euros to the European Union (EU). The country is dissatisfied with agreements with the EU that were intended to ensure that illegal migration to Europe is curbed. It is unclear what the action means for the migration deal.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni concluded the so-called Tunisia deal in July. In that deal, it was agreed that Europe will financially support Tunisia to get out of the corona crisis. In return, the Tunisian government must take measures to stop the illegal crossing of migrants across the Mediterranean.
But Tunisia has been complaining for some time that the EU transfers too little money. Brussels has said it will send more than a billion euros to Tunisia, but a large part of the amount is still on hold. This is due to a disagreement between Tunisia and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The EU loans are linked to an IMF reform programme. Agreements must be made about this. But Tunisian President Kais Saied previously expressed his objections to the IMF’s conditions. The EU has said the rest of the promised money will follow once this disagreement is resolved.
After Tunisia continued to grumble about the money, responsible European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said last week that Saied should return the money that had already been transferred. The 60 million euros that the EU transferred is back in Brussels’ account.
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Unclear what this means for the migration deal
It is not yet clear what the refunded money means for the migration deal. A spokesperson for the European Commission says it will continue with the agreements made with Tunisia.
D66 MP Anne-Marijke Podt asks Rutte for clarification and wants the agreement to be dissolved. “This deal has been a total failure so far. I want to know from the outgoing Prime Minister how we have gotten to this point,” she told the news agency ANP.
The Tunisia deal has been under pressure for some time. Initially, there was mainly fierce criticism from the left, including about the treatment of migrants in Tunisia. For example, in July, hundreds of migrants were sent to the desert on the border with Libya after disturbances in the city of Sfax.
Supporters of the deal are also increasingly negative. They criticize the delay and the low proceeds from the deal.
Beeld: Getty Images
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2023-10-11 17:12:15
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