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The European Union is ready to support Tunisia with a total of more than 1 billion euros in aid in exchange for better border control and measures against people smuggling "as soon as the necessary agreement is reached," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. der Leyen.
The commission is considering up to 900 million euros in macro-financial assistance and "as an immediate step we can offer up to 150 million euros in budget support now," von der Leyen said Sunday at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during a visit to Tunis.
After a meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied in the capital, von der Leyen announced that together they would work on a "comprehensive five-pillar package", which includes "increased trade and investment" and "mutually beneficial energy cooperation". .
The EU was also ready to provide Tunisia with 100 million euros for border management, search and rescue, anti-smuggling measures and other initiatives to address the migration issue, von der Leyen said.
Before the meeting, Saied had said his country would not agree to become a border guard for other countries after he visited the port city of Sfax, the main departure point for migrants seeking to reach Italy by boat.
Italy has long sought more options on where it can send rejected asylum seekers, but others have objected, arguing that the EU cannot send people to countries that do not fully respect human rights.
EU countries last week reached what is considered a landmark migration deal that could reshape how the continent processes and resettles asylum seekers. The deal strikes a balance between EU border countries that want more help dealing with asylum seekers and those inland countries arguing that too many migrants are arriving and moving within the EU illegally.
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