BRUSSELS — Cash is king in the EU’s plan to stop migrants from coming to Europe.
On Sunday, the EU finalized a deal with Tunisia — a common departure point for people seeking asylum in Europe — that essentially offers the country millions in exchange for help blocking the boats that have been carrying a growing number of people to Europe. The key: the deal goes well beyond migration to also touch on areas like trade, investment and green energy.
The pact is a preview of things to come. Now that the EU has this framework in place, Brussels is eager to strike similar deals with other Northern African countries. Already, negotiators are eyeing Egypt and Morocco as potential next targets, according to an EU official who spoke anonymously to discuss the plans.
“A blueprint for similar partnerships,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen crowed recently.
“A model to build new relations with neighbors from North Africa,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed on Sunday after finalizing the deal during a trip to Tunisia with von der Leyen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Von der Leyen branded the trip a “Team Europe” affair on her Instagram account — an EU branding for team-ups between Brussels and national governments. But to some, it was merely a usurpation of power — three people acting on behalf of all of Europe.
Dutch European Parliament member Sophie in ‘t Veld sarcastically suggested on Twitter that von der Leyen should come to Parliament to “explain what Team Europe is, and how accountability, transparency and the separation of powers are ensured?”
Migrant rights advocates vented their own frustration about the deal on Monday, arguing the EU was turning a blind eye to Tunisia’s poor human rights track record, as well as its increasingly authoritarian government.
The deal will now go to EU countries for a broader sign-off, giving more time for dissenters to wrangle over its specifics.
Debate aside, one thing is clear: This is how the EU wants to stall migrants eyeing Europe’s shores.
Here’s how it plans to do that.
Make it about more than immigration
The EU stressed that the Tunisia deal is not just about migration. The official documents refer to the country as “a partner” on everything from energy to digital connectivity.
EU officials said this language was key to winning over Tunisian President Kais Saied, who insisted in June that his country would not become a border guard for richer European countries.
The deal reflects that balance.
The pact does pledge €105 million to support Tunisia’s border control operations after a surge in the number of migrant departures from the Central Mediterranean.
But there’s more — a lot more.
The agreement foresees an extra €150 million to prop up Tunisia’s budget amid soaring inflation. There are promises to help Tunisia get cheap, low-carbon energy. It talks about boosting Tunisia’s renewable energy production (which, coincidentally, could help Europe). There are pledges to cooperate on research and education. There is a passage on clean drinking water.
The pact is, however, mostly an expression of intent and not a binding vow. And many items are already happening.
Still, von der Leyen has said the EU is ready to give Tunisia more than €1 billion if all goes well (and if Tunisia agrees to ratify an International Monetary Fund bailout).
The senior EU official stressed that this model can be replicated elsewhere.
“There are other countries in the region where the energy piece could be very important, and where there are also migration challenges, where there is huge potential for trade and for intensifying economic ties,” the official said.
Leave human rights for another negotiation?
The deal’s brief language on human rights has left humanitarian organizations fuming.
The agreement is “ill-judged,” said Amnesty International’s Eve Geddie, advocacy director for the organization’s European Institutions Office, in a statement.
And it comes in the face of “mounting evidence of serious human rights abuses by authorities,” she added. Its signing, Geddie argued, “signals EU acceptance of increasingly repressive behavior by Tunisia’s president and government.”
Civil society groups accuse Saied of cracking down on domestic opposition and adopting inhumane policies toward migrants from Sub-saharan Africa.
The issue came to the fore last week after footage showed sub-Saharan migrants being stranded in the desert by Tunisian authorities without food or water.
The EU official insisted that democratic development “remains an important objective of the EU.” But the deal does not directly address this subject.
That will likely be a point of contention as the agreement moves toward final approval.
The European Parliament’s three largest groups just last week condemned Tunisia over democratic backsliding. And on Tuesday, the EU commissioner overseeing migration, Ylva Johansson, will be on hand in Parliament to answer questions about the Tunisia agreement.
And if the EU ultimately reaches similar pacts with Egypt and Morocco, there will only be more questions for “Team Europe.” For now, though, don’t expect the plan to change.
