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Tunisian President Saied
Photo: Lewis Joly / REUTERS
An EU delegation was supposed to travel to Tunisia this Thursday to talk to representatives of civil society, trade unionists and opposition politicians. But nothing comes of it. The group is not allowed to enter.
In a letter to the delegation obtained by the AFP news agency, the Tunisian Foreign Ministry said only that the group would not be allowed to enter the country in view of "several reservations" against the visit. The five-member delegation with members of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs condemned the decision of the Tunisian authorities in a statement. The behaviour is unprecedented since the democratic revolution in Tunisia in 2011.
EU Commission surprised by decision
"The decision of the Tunisian government is an unparalleled scandal and shows that the autocratic president and the government do not want to face a discussion or deal with criticism," said SPD MEP Dietmar Köster, who was supposed to be present at the trip. German EPP MEP Michael Gahler was to lead the delegation.
The trip was planned from Thursday to Saturday. This was intended to build on a visit last year. The EU Parliament has expressed concern about backsliding on human rights and democracy, the five-member group said. A spokeswoman for the EU Commission expressed surprise at Tunisia's decision. However, the continuation of the dialogue is "all the more important when there are challenges and difficulties".
The EU and Tunisia agreed on a comprehensive migration agreement in mid-July. The country is one of the most important transit states on the way to Europe. The Socialists and Democrats S&D group in the European Parliament called for the "immediate suspension" of the migration agreement in view of the denied entry.
It is intended to deter people from irregular migration to the EU and, in particular, to improve the joint fight against smugglers. Tunisia is suffering from a severe economic crisis and high unemployment. Under the agreement, the country is to receive financial support of several hundred million euros.
President Saied expands his power
In a debate in the European Parliament this week, MEPs from several political groups, including the Social Democrats, had criticised the agreement. The government in Tunis has been accused of mistreating African refugees from sub-Saharan Africa.
Under President Kais Saied, Tunisia is moving more and more towards autocracy. Recently, two more high-ranking politicians from the opposition Ennahda party were arrested. Saied has secured more and more power in recent years. He dissolved the parliament in which Ennahda was the strongest force. Later, he had a new, significantly weakened parliament elected.
The head of state also introduced a controversial new constitution, thanks to which he can also arbitrarily appoint and dismiss judges. Saied says these measures are for the stability of the country. His critics consider this to be a pretext, saying that the president is only interested in expanding his power.
ulz/dpa/AFP