The European Commission has come under scrutiny for its refusal to publish the findings of a human rights inquiry into Tunisia that was conducted before announcing a controversial migration deal with the north African country. The investigation by the EU ombudsman revealed that the commission had quietly carried out a „risk management exercise“ into human rights concerns in Tunisia but has chosen not to disclose the results.
Despite repeated claims by Brussels that there was no need for a human rights impact assessment into the migration deal with Tunisia, the ombudsman’s report found that a risk management exercise had indeed been completed before the deal was signed. This raises concerns about what the commission may have discovered during this process.
The €150m EU-Tunisia migration pact, unveiled in July 2023, aims to prevent people from reaching Europe and was announced at a time when Tunisia was facing increasing repression and allegations of police brutality. A recent Guardian investigation exposed abuses by EU-funded security forces in Tunisia, including reports of rape and violence against migrants.
The re-election of Tunisia’s autocratic president, Kais Saied, who has a history of making racist remarks against migrants, further complicates the situation. The ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, criticized the European Commission for not being transparent about the human rights abuses it knew about before finalizing the deal. She emphasized the importance of conducting explicit human rights impact assessments, which are typically made public.
O’Reilly also highlighted the need for clear criteria on when EU funding should be suspended due to human rights violations in partner countries like Tunisia. She called for the establishment of complaint mechanisms for reporting violations linked to EU-funded projects in Tunisia.
In response to the ombudsman’s report, the European Commission stated that its risk management exercise considered criteria similar to those in a normal human rights impact assessment. However, O’Reilly was unable to access the findings of this exercise, as the commission did not proactively share this information.
The lack of transparency surrounding the EU-Tunisia migration deal and the withholding of crucial information about human rights abuses raise serious concerns about the EU’s commitment to upholding human rights standards in its external relations. As the situation in Tunisia continues to deteriorate, it is essential for the European Commission to prioritize transparency and accountability in its dealings with partner countries to ensure that EU funding is not inadvertently supporting human rights violations.