Prime Minister Mark Rutte, together with his Italian colleague Giorgia Meloni (Italy) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, denounced the “cynical business model” of human traffickers. Von der Leyen said on a visit to Tunis that the European Union is making 100 million euros available to the North African country to fight against smuggling.
Tunisia is an important departure point for illegal migrants to the EU. From the Tunisian coast there are already Italian islands about 70 kilometers away. The three European leaders say they had good talks in Tunis and will work more on it in the coming weeks.
According to Von der Leyen, the committee will support politically and economically unstable Tunisia with more money. For example, there will be an immediate “budget aid” of 150 million euros for the country’s treasury. As already known, the EU also wants to assist the Tunisian economy with 900 million as soon as the agreements are reached.
Criticism
Tunisian President Kais Saied was not present at the joint press conference of Meloni, Rutte and von der Leyen. Shortly before the summit, he criticized the European plans against illegal immigration. According to him, they would turn his country into a border guard for the EU. “The solution will not be at the expense of Tunisia. We cannot be a guardian for their countries,” Saied said during a visit to the port city of Sfax, one of the main departure points for migrants wanting to reach Italy by boat. .
Rutte was “cautiously hopeful” that deals could be made with Tunisia in the short term to prevent as much as possible the illegal crossing of asylum seekers from Tunisia, he said on Friday. However, he also didn’t expect to be able to close the deal immediately on Sunday. He described the visit as an important step.
Source: BNR
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