The European Union is entering into agreements with Maghreb countries to regulate the arrival of migrants, a strategy criticized by human rights defenders.
After Tunisia and Mauritania, Egypt: the European Union is entering into agreements with the countries of North Africa to try to prevent the arrival of migrants at its borders, a strategy criticized by human rights defenders and of uncertain effectiveness. But European leaders are keen to show their firmness on irregular immigration, three months before the parliamentary elections where polls predict a surge in the far right.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is traveling to Cairo on Sunday accompanied by the heads of government of Belgium Alexander De Croo, Italy Giorgia Meloni and Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Objective: establish a partnership with the Egyptian authorities to help this country plunged into a serious economic crisis, bordering two theaters of war, the Gaza Strip and Sudan, and where there are some 9 million migrants and refugees – including four million Sudanese and 1.5 million Syrians — according to the IOM.
Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait spoke of European aid of “5 to 6 billion dollars” (4.5 to 5.5 billion euros). The planned agreement is of the same type as that concluded in July with Tunisia: the Europeans expect the countries of origin or transit of migrants to stop departures and to readmit their nationals in an irregular situation into the EU , with a package of aid and investments.
Criticisms from MEPs
“In general, migration agreements with third countries are not very popular in these countries, because they are seen as a way of being the police of the European Union (…) so the EU has started to make more comprehensive agreements, in which migration is one element among others ,” explains migration expert Florian Trauner, from the Flemish University of Brussels (VUB). In addition to migration, “we have many other areas of cooperation with Egypt, such as energy and the climate agenda” , underlined Commission spokesperson Éric Mamer during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Migration cooperation with third countries is not new: an agreement was signed in 2016 with Turkey, for the country to keep Syrian refugees on its soil. The EU has also committed, very controversially, to training and equipping the Libyan coast guard. And this despite concerns about the mistreatment of migrants in this country. On March 7, an agreement was reached with Mauritania, mobilizing 210 million euros and providing for increased cooperation with the European border guard agency, Frontex.
Branded as a model, the “memorandum of understanding on a strategic and global partnership” with Tunisia, however, had a chaotic beginning, punctuated by tensions with the authorities. It continues to arouse criticism within the EU: in a resolution voted on Thursday, MEPs contested the conditions of the Commission’s recent disbursement of 150 million euros in budget support to Tunis, denouncing ” the deterioration of the ‘Rule of law in Tunisia’ . In a letter sent Tuesday to Ursula von der Leyen in anticipation of her trip to Cairo, French MEP Mounir Satouri (Greens), European Parliament rapporteur for Egypt, also warned of “the catastrophic situation of democracy and human rights in Egypt .
“Subcontracting”
Catherine Woollard, director of the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), an alliance of NGOs, denounces “agreements concluded with repressive governments” , which are “attempts on the part of the EU to subcontract its responsibility” . The Commission defends its approach. “Are we satisfied with the situation in these countries? Certainly not ,” admitted Éric Mamer. But “we think it is wise to conclude comprehensive agreements with them which will gradually improve the situation (…) both for their population and for migrants in these countries” .
The effectiveness of these partnerships is, however, open to question. If Turkey welcomes more than 3 million Syrian refugees on its soil, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has not hesitated to use the migrant issue to put pressure on the EU. As for Tunisia, recent figures show a drop in departures from this country, and a slight increase from Libya. For the IOM, however, different factors can explain this trend and it is too early to make a link with the EU-Tunisia agreement. The central Mediterranean is a particularly dangerous migratory route, where nearly 2,500 people died or disappeared in 2023.
