Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni travels to Tunisia on Tuesday, in the latest show of support for the economically troubled North African country that’s a major embarkation point for illicit migration across the Mediterranean.
(Bloomberg) — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni travels to Tunisia on Tuesday, in the latest show of support for the economically troubled North African country that’s a major embarkation point for illicit migration across the Mediterranean.
Avoiding an economic meltdown in Tunisia is a priority for Meloni as she makes a one-day trip to the birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. Further turmoil would likely spur even more migration, posing a further challenge to the right-wing premier on an issue that was pivotal to her 2022 electoral success.
In a phone call Friday with Tunisian President Kais Saied, Meloni reiterated her support for Tunis in its talks with the International Monetary Fund on a $1.9 billion loan. While IMF assistance is seen as key to shoring up an economy battered by soaring prices and high youth unemployment, the government has yet to finalize the wide-ranging economic reforms, including potentially painful cuts in state spending, necessary to secure a final deal.
Tunisia, where Saied is accused by opponents of trying to restore one-man rule after assuming greater powers in 2021, has been a major staging point for illicit crossings, both by Tunisians and others from the continent.
Italy’s migration policy has been criticized by other European nations. French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, last month said Meloni’s cabinet was “incapable of fixing Italy’s migration problems,” rekindling a diplomatic row between the two countries.
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At least 23,091 migrants were intercepted while trying to illicitly cross by boat from Tunisia to Italy between January and May this year, according to FTDES, a Tunisian non-governmental organization. About 3,430 Tunisians reached Italy, including 865 minors, and 534 people died in attempts, the data shows.
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