The need to crack down on traffickers’ networks was underlined by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen speaking about immigration which is one of the five pillars of the EU-Tunisia memorandum of understanding, while announcing 100 million euros in funding from the EU.

Ursula von der Leyen reported that “the tragic shipwreck a few weeks ago, in which many people lost their lives, was another call to action. We must crack down on the criminal networks of traffickers. They are exploiting human desperation and we need to break their business model. Therefore, we will work with Tunisia on an Anti-trafficking Operational Partnership.” He also focused on increasing coordination in search and rescue operations and EU-Tunisia cooperation on border management, anti-trafficking, returns and addressing root causes, in full respect of international law, he noted. “For this, we will make available over €100 million of EU funding. Equally important is our work to facilitate legal and regular immigration,” added the President of the Commission.

Regarding investments, he emphasized that the digital sector will play an important role. “We already have good projects in the pipeline, such as the Medusa undersea (fiber optic) cable, which will connect Tunisia to Europe. It will connect 11 countries around the Mediterranean, from 2025 onwards, and €150 million will flow into this important project” said the President of the Commission. At the same time, Ursula von der Leyen said that Tunisia will be given an opportunity for the Erasmus+ program, worth 10 million euros, in order to strengthen the exchange of students.

“We will also launch ‘Talent Partnerships’ to give Tunisian youth opportunities to study, work or to be trained in the European Union. Thus they will acquire know-how in the European Union and new skills that will be important for the Tunisian economy” he added. Finally, he noted that there will be cooperation for the modernization of schools, explaining that 80 schools are being supported to prepare for the digital and green transition, with a contribution of 65 million euros from Team Europe.