Summary:

A group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) set to arrive in Tunisia on 14 September for several days of working meetings were denied entry by the Tunisia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, raising questions about the status of the assistance agreement signed in July.

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A letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that entry for the delegation would be denied circulated on social media. However, the letter did not provide a clear reason for the denial. Additional reports quoting Foreign Affairs Ministry sources indicated that the visit had not been properly coordinated through diplomatic channels, which resulted in the denied entry.

The Chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael Gahler, called the denial “unprecedented” and emphasized the importance of the European Parliament’s role in international agreements.

The agenda for the visit included a number of meetings with Tunisian and European officials in Tunisia, as well as civil society groups and opposition political leaders.

Following the denial of entry and in light of increasing skepticism from European leaders regarding the assistance deal signed with Tunisia, the European Ombudsman issued a letter to the European Commission President, Ursual von der Leyen. The letter requests clarification about how human rights will be protected as the EU executes its assistance to Tunisia.

Outlook:  

Concern from the EU regarding the assistance deal has grown in recent weeks, with these events likely to accelerate actions from those European leaders concerned that the migration assistance deal fails to address human rights.

The involvement of the European Ombudsman signals that the dissenting voices are pushing for additional action beyond merely stating their concerns.

The future of the assistance program with Tunisia does not yet appear threatened. If, however, growing concern from European leaders continues to meet counterproductive actions from the Tunisian government, real opposition to the continuation of the program could arise.

Our team is continuing to watch for potential indicators of how the assistance program will evolve in the coming weeks and months as the EU prepares to begin dispersing security assistance-related funds.

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