EU lawmakers have accused the European Commission of ignoring ‘grave violations’ of human rights in its ‘cash for migrant control’ agreement with Tunisia in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen published on Thursday (27 July).
The letter, signed by a cross-party group of MEPs, complains that the EU-Tunisia deal “fails to address core human rights concerns observed in Tunisia”.
“The failure to address such concerns, which include grave violations of the rights of migrants and asylum seekers as well as an escalation of restrictions on civil and political rights, will put the European Union policies at risk of contributing to or perpetuating such violations and enabling impunity of those responsible,” the MEPs stated.
The Memorandum of Understanding setting out the details of the agreement was signed in Tunis on 16 July, with Tunisian President Kais Saied, von der Leyen, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.
In exchange for Tunisia stepping up its efforts to control and stem migration flows across the Mediterranean Sea, the European Commission will provide €785 million to the North African country this year to support its economy and projects for underwater fibre-optic and electricity cables between the EU and North Africa.
Human rights concerns
However, there are long-standing concerns about the Saied government’s treatment of migrants, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa.
In early July, Tunisian police, national guard, and military conducted raids in and around Sfax, arresting hundreds of migrants, after which around 1,200 people were expelled to the Libyan and Algerian borders,
“Given Tunisia’s recent migrants’ rights record, a general reference in the MoU to respect for human rights is mere political disclaimer that appears to further confirm the blatant discrepancy between EU’s stated attention for human rights and the reality of its policies of containment and its outsourcing of migration responsibilities,” the MEP letter said.
In several priority questions to the EU executive that will be formally tabled on 1 August, the cross-party group of MEPs asked what measures the Commission will take to ensure funding does not benefit institutions involved in human rights violations, and why the MoU did not include demands for a comprehensive national dialogue or the release of political prisoners.
They also asked whether there will be any assessments of human rights before funds are distributed, questioned the legal basis for the Tunisia deal, and wanted to know if the Parliament will have any oversight of it.
Broad support for the deal
Although the group of 37 MEPs represent the main political groups, with the exception of the European Conservatives and Reformists, officials from the centre-right European People’s Party and the Socialist and Democrat group, the two largest, have indicated to EURACTIV that a majority of MEPs would support the deal.
At the June European Council summit in Brussels, national diplomats told EURACTIV that the human rights concerns were trumped by the need for the EU to do more to prevent irregular migration.
EU leaders confirmed at the summit that they want the deal with Tunisia to serve as a model for similar arrangements with other North African states.
President Saied’s regime has become increasingly authoritarian since he suspended the national parliament and sacked the government in Tunis in July 2021. A growing list of opposition politicians, journalists and civil society activists have been arrested and detained this year on political charges.
The EU’s stance has been a major cause of frustration among Tunisian opposition leaders.
The MEPs added that they were “deeply concerned by the deafening silence…on the deepening crackdown on political opponents under way in Tunisia”.
The letter concluded that “the MoU does by no means address the domestic political situation, that is a root cause of the departure of Tunisians from their country.”
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]