EU allocates €127 million to implement Tunisia migration deal

The European Commission has announced almost €127 million in support for Tunisia under a memorandum with the country aimed at countering the problem of illegal migration from Africa to the EU.

As part of the memorandum, the European Commission is allocating €60 million in budget support for Tunisia and a so-called operational support package for migration issues worth €67 million.

Before that, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi spoke with the Tunisian Foreign Minister, and next week, a European Commission delegation will visit the country to discuss the implementation of the agreement’s priority points.

In the communiqué, the European Commission noted that the priority should be to combat smuggling networks organising routes of illegal migration to Europe across the Mediterranean, as well as EU support for building the capacity of Tunisian law enforcement agencies and support for the voluntary return of migrants to their countries of origin.

“The Commission is accelerating the implementation of existing programmes and actions under a new €105 million support package on migration, which is linked to the memorandum and will help respond to the emergency on the island of Lampedusa,” the communiqué added.

This includes search and rescue boats, transport and special equipment for the Tunisian coastguard, migrant protection measures in Tunisia in cooperation with the UN Refugee Agency, and the organisation of migrant returns to their home countries in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration.

As you know, since the spring of 2023, the Italian island of Lampedusa has become the primary “gateway to Europe” for people trying to enter the EU from Africa due to the island’s proximity to the Tunisian coast. Recently, thousands of migrants have been arriving in Lampedusa every day.

Due to the worsening situation, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, visited the island and announced a ten-step plan to resolve the migration crisis.

• Reinforce support brought to Italy by the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) and the European Border and Coast Guard (Frontex);
• Support the transfer of people out of Lampedusa;
• Step up returnsEN••• and increase Frontex’s presence in the area;
• Support the prevention of departures by establishing operational partnerships on anti-smugglingEN••• with the countries of origin and transit.
• Step up border surveillance at sea and aerial surveillance, including through Frontex, and explore options to expand naval missions in the Mediterranean;
• Take measures to limit the use of unseaworthy vessels and actions against people-smugglers;
• Increase the operational support provided by the EUAA, to apply swift asylum and return procedures;
• Increase awareness and communication campaigns to disincentivise Mediterranean crossings, while continuing to offer alternative pathways to the EU;
• Step up cooperation with the UNHCR and the IOM;
• Implement the EU-TU Memorandum of Understanding.

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said that “the future of Europe is at stake in the migration crisis”.