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European ombudsman critical of the EU migration deal with Tunisia

by AI | 24.Oct 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The Dutch former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen negotiated with Tunis as ‘Team Europe’ over the Tunisia deal.

The Tunisian coastguard intercepts a boat with migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: Khaled Nasraoui/dpa

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STRASBOURG (ANP) – The European Ombudsman has criticized the European Commission for lack of transparency regarding how human rights in Tunisia were considered in the so-called Tunisia deal aimed at stopping migrants.

Former Prime Minister Mark Rutte negotiated on behalf of the EU with the Tunisian authorities on that deal, along with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The three referred to themselves as Team Europe and sealed the agreement in July last year. But from the beginning, there were questions about what exactly had been agreed and how the authoritarian-led Tunisia would accommodate and treat the migrants stopped by order of Europe.

European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly is now asking the European Commission to provide a summary of the human rights risk analysis.

She also wants the Commission to develop a mechanism to suspend any financial support to Tunisia. “The Commission has a duty to ensure that EU funds do not support measures that violate human rights,” says O’Reilly.

Due to the Tunisia deal, approximately 1 billion euros of European money flows to Tunis.

(October 23, 2024)

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