The Tunisian authorities banned entry to five members of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs (AFET) committee.
In a letter addressed to the European Union’s delegation in Tunis, Tunisia’s foreign affairs ministry said that the parliament’s delegation would “not be authorized to enter national territory.”
This move comes amidst ongoing debates surrounding a migration-related aid agreement inked earlier this summer.
The parliament’s foreign affairs committee has condemned the Tunisian authorities’ decision and demanded a “detailed explanation.”
“This conduct is unprecedented since the democratic revolution in 2011,” the committee said in a statement.
A spokesperson on behalf of the European Commission underlined that the Tunisian government’s decision “came as a surprise to us.”
German politician Detmar Köster said the MPs planned to meet representatives of the Tunisian civil society from Thursday to Saturday. Köster commented, “This is an unprecedented scandal.”
The five MPs collectively condemned the decision in a joint statement. They expressed their “readiness and insistence on dialogue” with Tunisia.
During the debate, Satouri, one of the MEPs due to travel on the mission, said the EU‘s actions meant it was “being held hostage by authoritarian regimes.”
“Every time you give up border management to dictators, you are making us vulnerable,” he said.
