By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The European Commission on Friday announced that it would disburse the sum of 127 million euros ($135 million) to Tunisia as part of its deal with the country aimed at fighting illegal immigration from Africa to Europe.
The commission said 60 million euros would be made available in budget support to Tunisia, while a package worth around 67 million euros aimed at strengthening Tunisia’s capacities to combat human traffickers and tighten border controls would be disbursed in the coming days.
Tunisia and the EU in July signed a “strategic partnership” deal to fight illegal migration in return for financial support during a sharp increase in boats leaving the North African nation for Europe.
The deal signed by Von der Leyen, the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, was aimed at stemming migration to Europe from Tunisia, which had become one of the most popular routes for smugglers working in Africa after Libya became too dangerous.
The letter also says that foreign affairs ministers had “observed the proper steps of the adoption procedure had not been followed” by the commission and that therefore the memorandum of understanding could not be “considered a valid template for future agreements”.
Tunisian authorities have launched a clampdown on African migrants in recent weeks, destroying their camps and evicting them from the capital, Tunis.
