Tunisia returned to the EU a first tranche of funds worth 60 million to stop the exodus of migrants heading to Europe and, therefore, to Italy. In recent months, he has repeatedly criticized the delays in the payment of funds provided for in the memorandum signed in July: 105 million for the management of migration flows and 150 for economic support to the budget, 255 million in total. There has been no shortage of controversies in recent days. A week ago, European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi challenged the Tunisian government, writing on Twitter: “If you don’t want the money, give it back.”
He was taken literally. Yesterday the Commission, through spokesperson Eric Mamer, was forced to emphasize that “the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, Oliver Varhelyi, continues to enjoy the trust of President Ursula von der Leyen.
Then, to try to minimize the extent of what happened, another spokesperson, Alda Pisonero, explained that the Tunisians’ refusal to receive the 60 million “does not alter our effort to apply the five pillars of the Memorandum of Understanding” of July, which saw Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni among the main sponsors. The game is very complex. Tunisian President Kais Saied does not accept the EU poking its nose into his country’s affairs. The demonstration occurred when it rejected a delegation of MEPs that intended to verify compliance with Tunisia’s democratic standards.
In recent days, Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar thundered: “Tunisia does not beg anyone and the world is not limited to this or that partner.” Saied himself specified that his country does not accept “alms” from anyone. Brussels’ reaction was very diplomatic: «We communicated to Tunisia that, in addition to the existing and past support that was part of the programs in force, we are ready to do more in terms of support for the country», therefore «other payments are expected to Tunisia in the context of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding and we hope to be in a position to be able to provide funds to Tunisia. But we are clearly not at that point yet.” As if that were not enough, there is another mystery. According to the government of the African country, these 60 million are not part of the migrant package, but relate to the support program for Covid mitigation measures and economic recovery for 2021. In short, relations remain tense.
Source: IL Tempo

Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.