Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
13 June 2023 2023 | 17:45 CAT

Tunisia’s President Kais Saied shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Tunis, Tunisia June 11, 2023. Tunisian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS

The European Union said on Sunday it might loan Tunisia over 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) to help develop its battered economy, rescue state finances and deal with a migration crisis, with most funds contingent on it agreeing to economic reforms.

Tunisia has had ongoing issues in terms of its economy for many years. As a result, many Tunisians and citizens of other African States have attempted to make the trip across the Mediterranean and into Europe. They are making their way over the ‘boats of death’ known to capsize in the Mediterranean, causing significant casualties.

Radio Islam International spoke to the Managing Director of the International Interest, a global risk and intelligence company, Sami Hamdi.

According to Hamdi, the European Union is looking for a desperate measure, a stop-gap, to get the migrants to stop making the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean.

He said the EU believes the best way to accomplish this is to prop up the economies regardless of what is occurring in the country.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the offer during a visit to Tunisia along with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is anxious about migration across the Mediterranean.

The plan also includes 100 million euros for Tunisian authorities to conduct search-and-rescue operations for migrants and anti-smuggling operations, said von der Leyen.

The EU is concerned that if the economic crisis in Tunisia deepens, Europe will face an even more considerable increase in irregular migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean this summer.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie.