The European Commission has declined to release findings from a human rights inquiry conducted in Tunisia, despite approving a €150 million migration deal with the increasingly authoritarian regime of President Kais Saied. The inquiry, termed a “risk management exercise,” was quietly completed before the deal was signed in July 2023, but its results remain undisclosed.
An investigation by the EU ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, revealed that while the Commission previously stated there was no need for a formal human rights impact assessment (HRIA), it had, in fact, conducted this internal review. O’Reilly criticized the Commission for its lack of transparency, stating that a formal HRIA would have been more appropriate and public.
The migration pact, aimed at curbing migration to Europe, has been linked to abuse allegations, including EU-funded Tunisian security forces accused of violence against migrants. Recent evidence was even submitted to the International Criminal Court documenting these abuses.
The ombudsman called for clearer criteria on when EU funding to Tunisia should be suspended due to human rights violations, a concern not adequately addressed by the Commission, which defended its broader human rights approach.
