The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will travel this Sunday on a mission to Tunisia, accompanied by the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, and the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to deal with the North African country. the economic crisis and the migration issue.
The trip occurs after the increase in the migratory flow in the Mediterranean to which Rome responded by declaring a state of emergency and that Libya has attacked with drones the mafias that traffic people to the Italian coast this Wednesday.
As the community spokesman, Eric Mamer, announced at a press conference, the trip will focus on the bilateral relations between Tunisia and the EU and in a cooperation agreement on economic, energy and migration matters, although he has specified that this document is not yet finalized.
During the visit, Von der Leyen, Rutte and Meloni will meet with the Tunisian president, Kais Saied, president whom the opposition denounces for his authoritarian drift, after the arrest of dissident leaders and for proceeding with elections boycotted by the opposition that had a 10% turnout.
In any case, the EU has discussed in recent months how to take steps forward to stabilize the country in the face of the economic and social deterioration that has also caused a boom in illegal migration through the central Mediterranean.
Asked about the coordination with the Meloni government, Mamer has insisted that the fact that Von der Leyen travels to Tunisia accompanied by the Italian leader is a sign of the «constructive dialogue« between Brussels and the Italian authorities.
