The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, confirmed that « from the beginning of this year until now, the number of irregular migrants arriving from Tunisia to Italy has dropped by 80% compared to the same period in 2023. »
In her regular message to the European Council ahead of its summit, outlining progress made on migration issues, von der Leyen stated that « there have been encouraging trends this year along the Central Mediterranean migration route, with a 59% decrease recorded. »
The European official emphasized that « achieving results requires sustained commitment, and we continue to deepen the global and strategic partnerships we are building with key countries of origin and other nations. »
The German politician added: « In Tunisia, we are continuing to establish all the pillars of the partnership agreement signed in July 2023. » She highlighted that « over 100 million euros have already been allocated to various migration-related activities, including protection, repatriation, border management, and combating human trafficking, » according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
