{"id":5423,"date":"2023-08-24T11:16:38","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T09:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/erik-marquardt.eu\/?p=5423"},"modified":"2023-08-24T11:16:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T09:16:46","slug":"eu-migrationsabkommen-mit-tunesien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erik-marquardt.eu\/en\/eu-migration-agreement-with-tunisia\/","title":{"rendered":"EU migration agreement with Tunisia"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 16, 2023, the European Commission adopted, without consulting the Council and the European Parliament, a migration agreement (\u00e2memorandum of understanding<\/a>\u00e2) signed with Tunisia. What is wrong with this and why human rights are not in the foreground in this deal, I have among other things explained in the NDR<\/a> and I would like to explain this once again in detail in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current situation in Tunisia<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Under Acting President Kais Saied, a massive dismantling of democracy<\/a> in Tunisia. Saied spreads racist slogans, makes blacks the scapegoats of the economic problems in his country, and spreads the right-wing conspiracy theory of the \u00e2great exchange\u00e2, claiming that there is a plot afoot, „to change the demographic composition of Tunisia“<\/a>. This agitation culminated in hunts and pogrom-like riots against black people in Tunisia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, Tunisian authorities seem to have increasingly systematically abandoned people in the desert and left them to fend for themselves. Thus, only recently a group of over 80 people rescued by Libyan border guards<\/a>previously released by Tunisia in the desert. In the desert of North Africa more people may die than on the Mediterranean Sea<\/a>However, there is much less documented – coordinated rescue missions in the desert do not exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UNHCR figures<\/a> Tunisia has replaced Libya as the largest transit country since last year. Since the beginning of 2023 A total of 104,808 protection seekers<\/a> arrived in Italy by sea. According to Tunisian National Guard data<\/a> 34,290 people were prevented from fleeing Tunisia from January to the end of June 2023, nearly four times more than in the same period in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, the situation for refugees in Tunisia is very bad. There is no functioning asylum system and no other legal framework to protect asylum seekers or to grant residence permits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Migration cooperation with Tunisia to date <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There is a longstanding cooperation between Tunisia and the EU in the field of migration. In 2012, a Privileged Partnership was established and an Action Plan for the period 2013 to 2017 was adopted. The action plan addressed the protection of asylum seekers and refugees as well as cooperation in the areas of migration, mobility, and security. In parallel, in 2014, a Mobility partnership<\/a> was established. This should lead to the conclusion of two agreements: the first on readmission and a second on the facilitation of visa formalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Negotiations for a readmission agreement between the EU and Tunisia began in 2016. Tunisia has signed and generally respected bilateral readmission agreements with six member states (including Italy, Germany, and Belgium), but they are limited to Tunisian nationals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the 1998 readmission agreement with Italy, which provides for the repatriation of foreigners, excludes the readmission of third-country nationals from member states of the Arab Maghreb Union to Tunisia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already in 2017, Tunisia had rejected the EU\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s proposals to \u00e2outsource\u00e2 migration management; Saied also emphasized that Tunisia does not want to become \u00e2Europe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s border guard\u00e2. However, the EU has been financing migration measures (for border control) in Tunisia for years, among others through EU Trust Fund for Africa (expiring) and through NDICI – Global Europe. There, the \u00e2Multi-country\u00e2 Migration Program for the Southern Neighborhood 2021-2027 2021 allocated 25 million euros to support the development of border management facilities. In particular, for the support of the training infrastructure of the Tunisian Guard Nationale Maritime, support for the establishment of a coordination center for sea rescue and completion of the integrated coastal surveillance system. In addition, EUR 14 million was allocated in 2021 to support the return of Tunisians. Here is a detailed report <\/a>to this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The content of the \u00e2declaration of intent\u00e2<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On June 11, at a Press conference<\/a> Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (as \u00e2Team Europe\u00e2) presented the planned package of measures during a visit to Tunis, preceded by several visits by various representatives of the EU and its member states in the months before. Von der Leyen underscored the historic partnership between the EU and Tunisia and emphasized the intention to work with Tunisia on a \u00e2comprehensive package\u00e2 that would focus on 5 pillars<\/a> supports: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Support economic development<\/strong> Mobilization of up to \u00e2\u00ac 900 million for macro-financial assistance (linked to IMF criteria\/ IMF loan of 1.9 billion), plus \u00e2\u00ac 150 million in immediate budget support (funds that flow directly into the state budget).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Investment and trade<\/strong> – Modernization trade agreements, investment in digital infrastructure etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Energy<\/strong> – Production and export of renewable energy (including ELMED cable).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Migration<\/strong> Support for border management and anti-smuggling, sea rescue and repatriation, for which the EU budget will provide \u00e2'\u00ac 105 million in 2023.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. \u00e2People to people contacts\u00e2\/ People communication <\/strong>– Measures for exchange and cooperation such as Erasmus+, in the research field, vocational training measures, etc. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    On July 16, the corresponding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, which takes up and deepens the above points. The legal status of the MoU is not clear, and the parliament was not involved, which would have been necessary if it were an agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Macrofinancial support <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The text does not provide any specific figures on macrofinancial support; more detailed information will be discussed in the third quarter \u00e223.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With regard to cooperation in the field of migration, the following points are primarily mentioned:
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n