Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrived in Tunisia today, Wednesday, on her fourth visit within a year, once again focusing on combating illegal immigration as well as on cooperation with the country, according to her delegation.
Upon the arrival of her plane in the morning, Meloni and her accompanying delegation, including Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, headed to Carthage Palace to meet with Tunisian President Kais Saied. Italian sources indicated before the visit that “cooperation in the field of migration remains a fundamental aspect of the relationship between Italy and Tunisia.”
The visit comes two months before the European elections, which feature heated debates about immigration. Rome emphasizes that “it remains essential for the Tunisian authorities to continue their efforts to combat smuggling and human trafficking and control illegal migration attempts.” Tunisia, along with Libya, is a major departure point for thousands of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to the Italian coasts.
According to official Italian statistics, the number of migrants arriving from Tunisia, which had been decreasing from autumn until the beginning of the year, saw an increase between mid-March and mid-April, with 5,587 migrants arriving. The European Union has reached an agreement with Tunisia to provide financial assistance in exchange for reducing the attempts of migrants to depart. This was initiated by Meloni, who came to Tunisia three times last summer, including twice with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The memorandum of understanding signed in mid-July last year faced severe criticism in Europe; in mid-March, the European Parliament voted on a resolution to challenge the terms of disbursing 150 million euros from Brussels to support the Tunisian budget by condemning “the regression of rights in Tunisia.” The European Union has begun disbursing $105 million to combat illegal immigration. Many international non-governmental organizations have condemned the “increasing regression of rights” in Tunisia since President Saied decided in the summer of 2021 to monopolize powers in the country.
According to Italian sources, Meloni also comes to Tunisia to enhance bilateral cooperation under the “Mattei Plan for Africa” and is scheduled to provide direct assistance to the Tunisian budget as well as grants of credit lines to small and medium-sized enterprises.
