The "strategic" agreements of the European Union with third countries are the best formula to end the divisions between the countries in the front line of immigration and those of destination. "This approach to the external dimension solves everyone's problem", defended the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, yesterday when she arrived at the European Council.
Meloni intends to obtain the support of the Twenty-seven for a global association agreement with Tunisia that, in addition to promoting cooperation in energy matters and boosting trade, gives the necessary means to the country to stop the arrival of immigrants, along the same lines as the agreement reached with Turkey after the wave.
The Italian Prime Minister traveled to Tunisia on June 11 accompanied by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to defend cooperation with the country, which in exchange for Their collaboration could receive around one billion euros, in addition to 105 million to finance measures that improve border control. The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, yesterday defended this model and proposed not only "working even more closely with Turkey" but also seeking a similar agreement with Libya.
The authoritarian drift of the Tunisian president, Kais Saied, however, worries some member states, such as Germany or Sweden, reluctant to consolidate the idea of "exporting" immigration control to third countries with dubious democratic credentials.
Meloni believes that this approach, however, is rapidly gaining ground in the EU. “The text of the summit conclusions says things that were probably unthinkable just eight months ago. We have managed to change points of view”, the Italian leader congratulated herself, alluding to the commitment to work on the “external dimension” of the phenomenon “on all routes”.
