Building Bridges: Meloni, von der Leyen, and Rutte Convene in Tunis to Address Migrant Challenges

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Tunisia on Sunday to discuss matters concerning the economy and migration. They met with Tunisia’s President Kais Saied to discuss the financial crisis in the country and the surge of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. The European leaders brought a packet of initiatives to improve security in Tunisia and ease the way for IMF help. They also discussed cooperation in matters of the economy and energy.

Meloni’s mission was to try and secure a suspended loan from the International Monetary Fund to ensure financial stability for the country and prevent new departures of migrants towards Europe. However, Saied said that Tunisia would not accept becoming a border guard for other countries. The European leaders hoped to restore stability in Tunisia, which has become a major source of migration to Europe.