In a move that is destined to increase pressure on Italy and therefore conflicts inside the EU, the Tunisian government has canceled the July deal on migration with the EU Commission. The announcement came on Oct. 2 through the Presidency Facebook page. The Tunisian government felt mistreated by the EU, which first promised €250 million but disbursed only half of it, inclusive of previous aid for €60 million. In total, Tunisia has received only €67 million and the next tranche is only €42 million, moreover with no date announced.
The deal was that besides the initial €250 million, €900 million would be released after an agreement with the IMF, which has been stalled because the IMF demanded lifting subsidies on staple food prices. The Italian government was mediating a solution to the stall.
Additionally, the EU Parliament and members of the Commission itself have called for making aid conditional on so-called human rights records backed by a letter by Commission Deputy President Josep Borrell that promised close monitoring of the deal. More recently, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a EU Search and Rescue in Tunisian waters.
That was too much for Tunisia, which vetoed a visit by an EP delegation in September. Significantly, the Tunisian President announced the cancellation of the deal with the EU during a meeting with the Foreign Minister returning from a mission to BRICS founding members Russia and South Africa. In Moscow, agreements were signed for supplies of Russian wheat in exchange for textile products and tourism.
