2023-10-03 02:03:38
Tunisian President Kais Saied is embarking on a confrontation course with the European Union (EU). On Monday he rejected EU aid worth 127 million euros as part of the agreement to curb illegal migration from Africa to Europe. “Not because of the small amount, but because the proposal contradicts the agreement signed in July,” said Saied.
The agreement was preceded by weeks of discussions and Europe’s commitment to support Tunisia with a total of one billion euros. The payouts are largely tied to economic reforms. However, the cut, announced in mid-September, has frustrated the Tunisian government as it struggles to repair its finances and has rating agencies worried that Tunisia will be unable to repay its foreign debt in the coming months.
Around 67 million euros were to be made available in connection with a controversial migration agreement between the EU Commission and Tunisia. There was also 60 million euros in budget support so that the country can recover from the Corona crisis. Tunisia is one of the main transit countries for refugees from Africa heading to Europe.
Tunisia already postponed the visit of a European Commission delegation last week that was supposed to discuss the details of the migration agreement. Last month, the country also denied entry to five members of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss the political situation in Tunisia. At the weekend, the Interior Minister emphasized that Tunisia might under no circumstances serve as a border guard for other countries.
In the past few months, thousands of people from Africa without papers came to the Tunisian city of Sfax in order to reach Europe by boat. On the Italian island of Lampedusa alone, hundreds of people have been arriving in overcrowded boats every day for weeks. The Mediterranean island is only around 140 kilometers east of the Tunisian coast.
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