Tunisia’s designation as a safe third country of origin: The European Commission rewards Tunisian authorities for their cooperation on migration and whitewashes their abuses

Tunisia’s designation as a safe third country of origin: The European Commission rewards Tunisian authorities for their cooperation on migration and whitewashes their abuses

The European Commission has issued a consolidated list of “safe third countries of origin,” which will be ratified by the Council and the European Parliament, making it binding on all EU countries.
The creation of the “safe countries of origin” list is part of the policies of externalizing European migration policies, limiting asylum, facilitating and accelerating deportation and expulsion procedures, and becoming a political bargaining chip to whitewash undemocratic regimes to reward them for their cooperation in exporting European borders.
Categorizing a country of origin as safe means that there is no risk of persecution and no respect for the rule of law and deprives citizens of that country of their right to a fair and effective asylum procedure, assuming they are not in need of international protection. This places them under expedited procedures that often end in the rejection of asylum claims, further legitimizing deportations and expulsions.
Tunisia has been categorized as a safe country of origin. This designation contributes to the denial of systematic human rights violations in Tunisia and undermines the foundations of democracy as the President of the Republic has seized all powers. Civil society activists, social movements, journalists, trade unionists and politicians are being prosecuted as part of a systematic policy to silence any voice critical of the economic, political and social situation. The state of emergency continues, giving wide powers to limit rights and freedoms.
The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights condemns European policies that are complicit with the systematic repression of the democratic and social movement and migrants in Tunisia and considers the classification of Tunisia as a safe country of origin as part of an undeclared political deal linked to the memorandum of understanding signed in July 2023 aimed at whitewashing the authoritarian deviation in Tunisia and giving more legitimacy to the processes of deporting and expelling irregular migrants to Tunisia and as a prelude to turning Tunisia into a safe third country that accepts the deportation of all migrants to it.

Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights
President Abderrahmane Hedhili