| Every week The Briefing takes you across the continent with just one click. |
|
| |
|
| | | | In Tunis, the EU pays a high price |
|
|
|
By Jorge Liboreiro
Does the end justify the means? Ask Brussels.
Following weeks of febrile speculation and whispered rumours, the European Union has finally signed its memorandum of understanding with Tunisia. The deal, whose presentation was delayed several times, is structured around five thematic pillars: macro-economic stability, trade flows, the green transition, people-to-people contacts and migration.
“In times of geopolitical uncertainties, it is important to deepen cooperation with our strategic partners,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said after a meeting in Tunis with President Kais Saied.
For the occasion, von der Leyen was joined by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, giving a strong hint of the raison d'être behind the memorandum.
While the text still needs to be fleshed out into concrete proposals, some initial figures have emerged: as part of the deal, the EU has committed to providing €150 million in budget support for the Tunisian government, €105 million for migration management, €307.6 million for the development of a transmission line for renewable electricity and up to €150 million for the construction of a submarine fibre cable.
The eye-popping numbers – more than €700 million across several years – could be topped up with a €900-million envelope of macro-financial assistance, although this last part, which featured heavily in the reports that preceded the announcement, did not make it into the final wording as it depends on a separate loan that Tunis is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund.
In short, big money is on the table. But for the EU, a self-proclaimed advocate for human rights, the trade-off is more than financial.
Tunisia, the only country that moved closer to democracy as a result of the Arab Spring, has in recent years taken a sharp turn towards authoritarianism under the rule of Kais Saied, a man who two years ago staged a “self-coup” that dissolved parliament and expanded his presidential powers. Since the dramatic day, Saied has overseen a pronounced democratic backsliding, cracking down on civil society, undermining judicial independence and repressing freedom of speech.
Equally worrying, Saied has leaned heavily on racist narratives against black Africans. Earlier this year, Said drew a stark rebuke from the United Nations after he claimed that “hordes of illegal migrants” arriving from Sub-Saharan countries were part of a “criminal plan to change the composition of the demographic landscape of Tunisia” and were the source of “violence, unacceptable crimes and practices.”
The hateful rhetoric, reminiscent of the far-right conspiracy theory known as “great replacement,” has helped fuel a wave of violence against black people inside Tunisia, with multiple incidents of Sub-Saharan migrants left abandoned in the desert and pushed to the Libyan border. According to Human Rights Watch, documented abuses include “beatings, use of excessive force, some cases of torture, arbitrary arrests and detention, collective expulsions, dangerous actions at sea, forced evictions, and theft of money and belongings.”
Needless to say, none of this was addressed by von der Leyen, Rutte and Meloni during their joint trip to Tunisia, even if the brutal situation is actually contributing to the problem – uncontrolled migration flows – that they’re trying to mitigate. Instead, the three leaders were all smiles during their photo-op with President Saied, hailing the memorandum as a diplomatic triumph.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior EU official admitted the memorandum does not include additional guarantees on human rights and the migration funding won’t be linked to the completion of any annual target. “We don't wire money to authorities to do as they please,” the official said, noting the majority of the €105 million for migration will be channelled through international organisations, with the rest going to the border guards in the form of vessels and radars.
However, as several MEPs pointed out during a tense hearing in the European Parliament, the EU will send €150 million in budget support, a large sum that will be injected directly into the government’s coffers and might prove hard to track down.
“It's very clear: a deal has been made with a dictator who’s cruel and who’s unreliable,” said Sophie in 't Veld, a Dutch lawmaker who sits with the liberal group. “President Saied is an authoritarian ruler, he's not a good partner.”
|
|
| | |  A FRESH START
The two-day summit between the European Union and the 33 members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) ended with a €45 billion investment package, a vaguely-worded condemnation of the Ukraine war (which Nicaragua refused to endorse) and a ground-breaking recognition of the “untold suffering” caused by Europe’s colonial past. But there was no promise to conclude the EU-Mercosur deal before the end of the year. After the summit, Brazilian President Inácio Lula da Silva castigated the bloc for making “threats” during the trade talks.
GRAIN UNDER ATTACK
Chain supplies are heading once again for troubled times: Russia decided this week to suspend the Black Sea deal that has allowed Ukraine to send tonnes of cereals to low-income countries around the world. Shortly after, Moscow began launching strikes against grain facilities and warned all ships leaving Ukrainian ports would be considered “potential carriers of military cargo.” In other news, South Africa confirmed Vladimir Putin would not attend the BRICS summit in August. Putin’s presence could have forced local authorities to execute the arrest warrant the Hague has put on him.
FOLLOW THE WEAPONS
A Mexican TV report has alleged drug cartels and other criminal organisations were illegally buying the expensive rocket launchers that Western allies are sending to Ukraine. The outlandish claim was widely shared on social media. But is it true? Sophia Khatsenkova conducts the necessary fact-check.
SHOW ME YOUR PASSPORT
The last few days in Brussels have been dominated by one name: Fiona Scott Morton. The Yale-educated academic was last week appointed by the European Commission as chief economist for competition, prompting a furious backlash from French politicians, who said Scott Morton’s previous work for Big Tech posed an insurmountable conflict of interest. The French-led outrage quickly snowballed, leading to accusations of nationalism and anti-Americanism. This is how the saga ended.
A BRUSSELS HEAVYWEIGHT
Surprise, surprise: after almost 10 years in Brussels, Frans Timmermans, the European Commission’s vice-president in charge of the Green Deal, has announced his intention to return to Dutch politics and run for prime minister. Timmermans intends to lead a socialist-green coalition in the snap elections called after the spectacular collapse of Mark Rutte’s government. “I think it’s time for us in the Netherlands to grow closer together again instead of growing apart,” Timmermans said.
NAIL-BITING ELECTION
Spain is heading to the polls this weekend after a campaign marked by extreme acrimony and bitterness. Some claims made by parties have been debunked in an embarrassing way, raising concerns about credibility and trust. As a result, predictions are all over the place. Will Pedro Sánchez’s gamble pay off? Or will the conservatives triumph? Most crucially, |
|
|
|
|
portal
Φόρουμ
Γεγονότα
Εικονοθήκη
Latest images
Αναζήτηση
Εγγραφή
Σύνδεση
ΔιαχειριστήςAdmin
Euronews, come on!
