The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the agreement, which will enable Tunisia to "invest in shared prosperity", citing "five pillars", including the all-important question of migration. Along with Libya, Tunisia is the main point of departure for thousands of migrants crossing the central Mediterranean to Europe. Among other things, they agreed to extend the Erasmus exchange program to Tunisia and to provide €65 million in aid for 80 schools. According to Ms Meloni, the partnership between Tunisia and the European Union (EU) "can be seen as a model for the establishment of new relations with North Africa". As for immigration, Mr. Rutte felt that the agreement would enable "better control of irregular immigration".

Source: The North Africa Journal July 17, 2023 09:11 UTC