Europe’s Leaders Urgently Need to Reverse Course on Migration Deal with Tunisia, Says Amnesty Director

Brussels, Belgium – Eve Geddie, Director of Amnesty’s European Institutions Office, expressed deep concern over the European Union’s recent agreement with Tunisia. The deal aims to curb migration to Europe and comes with millions in financial support for border management. While European and EU leaders hope to address the migration crisis, Geddie believes the human costs of the agreement are already apparent. She urges European and EU leaders to urgently reverse course.

The agreement with Tunisia has raised alarm as reports of refugees and migrants being stranded in the country’s desert border areas with Libya surfaced. The European People’s Party President, Manfred Weber, referred to these reports, including multiple deaths near the border, as deeply troubling. The deal with Tunisia comes amidst the country’s unprecedented economic crisis, and as European leaders turn a blind eye to the growing repression of human rights in Tunisia, people in the country are paying a heavy price.

Furthermore, this controversial agreement was signed with no human rights conditions in place, no assessment or monitoring of its human rights impact, and no mechanism to suspend cooperation in case of abuse. European Ombudsman has called for the European Commission to clarify how it will ensure that human rights will be respected by Tunisia, as no lessons seem to have been learned from previous agreements.

The lack of transparency in the negotiations for the agreement with Tunisia has raised concerns about the legitimacy of EU migration policies. To ensure the EU doesn’t become complicit in rights abuses and repression, its engagement with partners on migration must be contingent on stringent human rights conditions, impact assessments, and monitoring. This begs the question – it is not too late for EU leaders to reverse course and learn from past agreements that have led to immense suffering.

In conclusion, the agreement with Tunisia raises serious concerns about the human rights impact and the EU’s involvement in migrant affairs. The need for a balanced approach that expands safe migration pathways and focuses on protecting rather than containing people should be a priority. The EU must promote an independent judiciary, a free media, and a vibrant civil society in Tunisia.