Concerns in Tunisia over Meloni’s Pressure on Immigration
Observers believe Italy has succeeded in turning Tunisia into a trap for irregular migrants who can enter but have difficulty leaving
Opinions have varied on the motivations behind Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni‘s visit to Tunisia, with some seeing it as an attempt to pressure the country to contain thousands of irregular migrants in exchange for “deceptive promises,” while others view it as a mere “collective approach” concerning the entire region between Africa and Europe.
Some have even placed it within the context of “the stakes of the upcoming European elections next summer and the desire of the right, of which Meloni is a part, to maintain a position in European political institutions.”
On Wednesday, the Italian Prime Minister arrived in Tunisia for a brief visit, her fourth to the Arab country in less than a year, while dozens of Tunisians protested outside the Italian embassy in Tunis against the visit.
Italian media indicated that Meloni‘s visit primarily focused on the issue of irregular migration from Tunisian shores to Italy.
Mahmoud Ben Mabrouk, Secretary General of the Machrou Tounes party, close to President Kaïs Saïed, commented on Meloni‘s visit: “They want to make Tunisia a settlement ground and a camp for African refugees.”
He added, “European countries, just as they were the cause of Africa’s impoverishment, must open their territories to Africans to work in their countries.”
He continued, “The solution cannot be security-based, and Tunisia will not deal with irregular migration to the European space in a security and military manner, because it is not first responsible for the entire Mediterranean region, and secondly, it will not accept the pressure,” adding, “We reject concluding an agreement in this area, and even Tunisia’s infrastructure is not capable of containing thousands of migrants who threaten Tunisians’ purchasing power and cause a scarcity of several essential commodities.”
Meloni‘s visit has been seen as “another attempt by the European side to present some gifts, promises, and largesse, which are deceptive promises that Tunisia will not accept.”
Ahmed Ounais, former Tunisian Foreign Minister, denied that the visit was Italian pressure on Tunisia to accept the localization of irregular migrants on its territory, saying, “I don’t think it’s pressure, it’s a collective approach that believes the issue is not specifically Italian or Tunisian, but collective concerning the entire region between Africa and Europe.”
He considered that “the issue goes beyond Italy and Tunisia, it is a Mediterranean issue that encompasses both regions South and North, and this is the correct approach, the consultations are not isolated but continuous and sequential between Tunisia and Italy.”
Regarding President Saïed‘s refusal for Tunisia to be a “settlement ground,” Ounais said, “This is not new, but Europe still insists on deploying a series of centers in North Africa, including Tunisia, to gather migrants for sorting and selecting them for the benefit of the European economy.”
He added, “This European project is still ongoing with more precise support to reinforce it by allocating a number of jobs to alleviate the impact on countries that accept deploying this network (the camps).”
Ramadan Ben Omar, spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (independent), believed that the visit “falls within the stakes of the upcoming European elections next summer, and the desire of the right, of which Meloni is a part, to maintain a position in European political institutions.”
He considered that “Meloni‘s visit precedes the improvement of summer weather conditions to encourage the Tunisian state to strengthen its security grip on the coasts against irregular migration.”
He added, “Meloni and behind her the European Union have succeeded in turning Tunisia into a trap for irregular migrants who can enter but have difficulty leaving.”
He continued, “In exchange for all this, there is support for the Tunisian budget and providing political cover for the situation in Tunisia to show that this model must succeed whatever the circumstances, as long as the Tunisian state respects its commitments and succeeds as long as migrants do not reach Europe.”
In contrast, Ben Omar concluded that “the Tunisian regime needs to show that it is accepted by many leaders and is not isolated and always has an outlet for economic failure to close the budget through the European Union,” he said.
Recently, Tunisia has seen a significant increase in migration rates to Europe, especially towards Italian shores, due to economic and political crises in the country, as well as various countries in the region.
In September 2023, the European Commission allocated €127 million in aid to Tunisia, as part of a memorandum of understanding signed with the European Union, some of which is intended to reduce the influx of migrants.
The Tunisian presidency said in a statement on Wednesday that President Kaïs Saïed praised during talks with Meloni “the important momentum witnessed by the pace of reciprocal visits between the two countries at various levels.”
Saïed also reiterated “Tunisia’s constant position refusing to be a refuge or a transit point for irregular migrants” towards Europe.
However, the president called for “adopting a collective approach to the issue of migration and combating human trafficking networks and human trafficking in the Mediterranean region.”
On the sidelines of the visit, the Tunisian presidency announced the signing of three agreements, the first being an agreement between the governments to support the general budget of the Tunisian state, the second between the Tunisian Central Bank and the Italian Institute of Deposits and Loans regarding support and financing of small and medium enterprises.
As for the third agreement, it concerns a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Italian Ministry of University and Research for cooperation in the fields of higher education and scientific research.
The statement did not include any clarification on the value of the support or financing provided by the agreements, but Meloni‘s office announced in a statement on Wednesday that she “will propose financing for Tunisia worth $112 million.”
On Wednesday, a number of activists gathered outside the Italian embassy in Tunis to protest Meloni‘s visit to the country, considering it an attempt to extort Tunisia for further tightening the noose on migrants.
The protesters expressed their anger at what they described as the Italian Prime Minister’s insistence on turning Tunisia into a maritime guard for the European gateway and a center for detaining African migrants in preparation for their deportation.
