Ursula von der Leyen hails deal as an investment in shared prosperity and stability
The EU has signed off on a €1bn (£860m) deal with Tunisia to help stem irregular migration, as the president of the north African country denounced those who offer migrants “sympathy without respect” for their goal to have equity in life.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, hailed the deal with Tunisia, including significant measures to stem deadly irregular migration across the mediterranean, as an investment in shared prosperity and stability.
The partnership with Tunisia on migration comes just days after the country’s president, Kais Saied, revealed the “shocking” scale of people-smuggling in his country, with officials revealing it was worth about £760m in the first half of 2023 in remittances from sub-Saharan Africa.
Unveiling the deal in Tunisia in Sunday evening flanked by Von der Leyen and the prime ministers of Italy and the Netherlands, Saied denounced humanitarian organisations as spreading false facts on Tunisia instead of focusing their efforts on the criminal gangs behind the deadly business.
He said people all over the world shared a need for coexistence and effective equity in their futures along with respect rather than sympathy.
