EU unable to recover migration control funds from Tunisia despite rights abuse concerns

The European Union lacks a mechanism to recover any portion of the $260 million allocated to Tunisia for irregular migration control, despite emerging reports linking the funds to alleged human rights violations, according to The Guardian.

A recent Guardian investigation revealed reports of female migrants being raped by Tunisian national guard officers who were funded by the EU.

While European funding guidelines require that financial support respects human rights standards, no formal human rights impact assessment was conducted before the funds were disbursed to Tunisia in March.

The European Commission moved forward with the controversial migration control agreement last year, despite growing concerns over migrant abuses and Tunisia’s shift towards authoritarianism.

Catherine Woollard, director of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles, warned that deals like Tunisia’s create fertile ground for disaster.

"Human rights violations aren't incidental—they're intrinsic to these deals with oppressive regimes. They allow Europe to outsource not just migrant management, but also human rights abuses when it doesn’t want direct involvement," Woollard told The Guardian.

A report from the EU Ombudsman on the migrant agreement between Brussels and Tunisia is expected soon. Additionally, there are reports that the International Criminal Court may investigate allegations of abuses against sub-Saharan migrants by Tunisian authorities.