3 EU leaders in Tunisia for talks on migrants, economy

TUNIS: The EU, Italian and Dutch leaders visited Tunisia on Sunday for talks on helping its troubled economy and on reducing the flow of irregular migrants to Europe.

The north African country, now in discussions for an IMF bailout loan, is a major gateway for migrants and asylum-seekers attempting the dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossings.

EU governments, under pressure to reduce arrivals, last week agreed on steps to fast-track migrant returns to their countries of origin or transit countries deemed “safe”, including Tunisia.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen visited Tunisia on Sunday together with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.

They were to meet President Kais Saied, who has assumed near total governing powers over the country since 2021, for talks on economic and migration concerns.

Italy’s far-right premier, Meloni, was on her second Tunisia visit within a week, after meeting Saied on Tuesday.

Tunisia lies about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa, and has long been a stepping-stone for migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries, seeking a better life in Europe.

An increasing number of the migrants hail from Tunisia, whose tourism-based economy was hit hard by the Covid pandemic and which is now in a serious economic crisis marked by high inflation and unemployment.

The highly indebted country reached an in-principle deal last year for an IMF bailout loan of around $2 billion. But talks have since stalled over the reforms demanded by the fund, especially on state-run enterprises and state subsidies on basic products.

Saied, who has seized almost total power since a dramatic July 2021 move against parliament, on Tuesday again slammed what he has termed the “diktats” of the Washington-based IMF.

On the migration issue, Saied has in the past vowed “urgent measures” to tackle arrivals in Tunisia.

Tunisian rights groups accused him of hate speech after he charged in February that “hordes” of sub-Saharan African migrants were responsible for rising crime and posed a “demographic” threat.

Attacks on migrants rose sharply after his speech, and thousands fled the country.

Saied on Saturday said he rejected turning Tunisia into Europe’s “border guard”, speaking during a surprise visit to Sfax, a coastal city from where many migrants leave.

The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights denounced the visit by the three European leaders Sunday as an attempt to “blackmail” Tunisia with an offer of financial support in return for stepped up border vigilance.