The British daily Financial Times revealed that the European Union is on the verge of concluding multi-billion euro agreements with Jordan and Morocco to strengthen cooperation to limit migration flows to the Union’s member countries. This information comes from statements by Dubravka Šuica, the new European Commissioner for the Mediterranean.
The newspaper underlines that faced with the rise of far-right parties and anti-immigration discourse in Europe, the European Union is turning more and more towards countries in the Middle East and North Africa. In exchange for financial support, these partners are called upon to strengthen their border control measures and slow down departures to the European continent.
These new efforts are part of a strengthened partnership strategy, as previous agreements with Egypt and Tunisia have sparked criticism over human rights abuses in these two countries. Morocco, as a key transit country, is already a major recipient of European funding, while Jordan bears the burden of more than a million Syrian refugees, a considerable economic strain for the small kingdom.
Commissioner Dubravka Šuica clarified that the agreement with Amman was “ almost ready » and that it would be signed by King Abdallah in Brussels at the end of January or the beginning of February. She stated: “ Jordan is close to finalizing this agreement. We want them to be with us, and they want it too ».
These comments come as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, visited Jordan on Monday. “ I look forward to welcoming King Abdullah to Brussels in early 2025. Together we will launch a strengthened strategic partnership between the European Union and Jordan “said von der Leyen. She added that the European Union “ will work closely with Jordan and our partners to ensure a political transition in Syria », in reference to the dismissal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by Islamist rebels.
In 2023, the European Union concluded an agreement worth 255 million euros with Tunisia, followed this year by another worth 7.4 billion euros with Egypt, despite warnings from human rights organizations regarding political repression in these countries.
According to the Financial Times, the agreements currently being negotiated with Jordan and Morocco should be on a scale ” similar » to that concluded with Egypt. They will include economic and energy projects as well as specific measures to reduce migratory flows towards Europe.
Jordan now hosts the world’s second largest proportion of refugees relative to its population, with the majority coming from Syria, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. As for Morocco, it has maintained close cooperation with the European Union for many years to combat irregular immigration. The European Commission indicates that Rabat received more than 2.1 billion euros between 2014 and 2022 to support these efforts.
However, these partnerships are the subject of recurring criticism from human rights activists and some European politicians, particularly those linked to the agreements concluded with Tunisia. Tunisian President Kaïs Saïd is accused of repressing political opposition and civil society, while the country’s authorities are singled out for their handling of migrants and arbitrary expulsions. Tunis strongly denies these accusations, denying any violation of migrants’ rights.
Faced with these criticisms, Dubravka Šuica defended the necessity of these agreements. “ These countries were on the brink of collapse, and we had to help them “, she explained. However, she called for vigilance, stressing that partner countries “ must respect the criteria set out in these agreements”, including the requirement to respect human rights. “Not a cent will be paid to these countries until they meet the human rights criteria “, she concluded.
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