Following the decision of Tunisian authorities to refuse entrance to a Parliamentarian delegation of MEPs, S&D Group leader Iratxe García this morning will request a declaration of the European Parliament's Conference of presidents asking for the immediate suspension of the Memorandum of Understanding between the EU and Tunisia.

 

 

"When we meet in the Conference of Presidents this morning, I will request a statement from the President of the European Parliament condemning the entry refusal to the MEPs by the Tunisian government and urging the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to suspend the implementation of the Memorandum immediately. I will also ask for an assessment of the legality of such agreement by the legal services of the Parliament. This house has always worked for the defence of human rights and it must act on this crucial matter. It is time for the EPP and its leader Manfred Weber to acknowledge that this Memorandum was the wrong idea from the start – if not illegal – and stop saying that this is a model to replicate.

 

“The decision of the Tunisian authorities to deny the entry of the foreign affairs committee (AFET) mission demonstrates what we have been saying since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Saied. Externalising migration management is a political mistake, and giving money to an authoritarian regime that violates human rights and represses any opponents goes against our values.”