EU Allocates €127 Million To Help Tunisia Combat Illegal Immigration

The European Commission has announced €127 million to support the implementation of the memorandum of understanding with Tunisia.

The memorandum of understanding was signed on July 16, 2023 and aims to improve cooperation on a wide range of issues, including migration control. The memorandum was signed in Tunisia by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Khachani.

In favor of this agreement, on September 22, the European Commission announced the allocation of 60 million euros of budget support to Tunisia and a package of operational assistance on migration issues worth approximately 67 million euros. These funds “will be allocated in the coming days, contracted, and quickly delivered.”

As explained by the press secretary of the EU executive body, Ana Pisonero, “this first package is based on close cooperation with Tunisia in the field of suppressing the activities of organizations involved in human trafficking.”

“The EU and Tunisia intend to quickly advance the implementation of the memorandum, prioritizing action in the field of migration, cooperation to dismantle human trafficking networks, increased EU assistance in ramping up potential of Tunisian law enforcement agencies, as well as support for the voluntary return and reintegration of migrants to their countries of origin, in full compliance with international law,” says the explanatory note of the European Commission.

At the same time, work is underway on a new aid package for migrants worth 105 million euros, “which will help solve the emergency situation on the Italian island of Lampedusa.” These funds will double the number of search and rescue boats, as well as provide equipment, vehicles, and training to the Tunisian Coast Guard and Navy to “assist and protect migrants in Tunisia” in cooperation with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), as well as for the repatriation and reintegration of migrants from Tunisian territory to their countries of origin.