A special European Union fund was supposed to help Africa respond effectively to the migration crisis, but unfortunately the money was used (also) in violation of human rights, ending up in the hands of criminals. This is the complaint contained in the report published on September 25 by the EU Court of Auditors on the use of the Trust Fund for Africa.
The judges explicitly accuse the European Commission of having wasted the money made available and of overestimating the results achieved. The most serious accusation, however, concerns the responsibility of the officials, who allegedly turned a blind eye to the obvious violations against migrants carried out by the same traffickers that Europe assures it wants to fight. Libya and Tunisia are the most problematic countries. The same ones with which Italy has signed important partnership agreements.
Overrated results
The Fund (EuTF) launched in 2015 targets three African regions: the Sahel and Lake Chad, the Horn of Africa and North Africa. All of these areas are characterised by internal displacement, while the Sahel is one of the most frequently used transit routes for migrants heading to Europe. “Fragmented support with little focus on policy priorities fails to deliver impact,” said Bettina Jakobsen, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report. “While the EuTF has helped keep migration at the top of the political and development agenda, we must reiterate our criticisms, as little has changed.
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The fund is still not sufficiently focused on its priorities and has too broad a scope,” the rapporteur stressed. The court highlights that although the funds were made available quickly, it is not clear whether the way they were spent was effective. “The results do not show whether the projects are sustainable or whether they have contributed to addressing the root causes of instability, irregular migration and displacement,” the report reads. “Therefore, the Commission is not yet in a position to establish which approaches are most effective and efficient to reduce irregular migration and forced displacement in Africa,” the text continues.
Italy’s agreements with Libya and Tunisia
The most serious part concerns the violation of human rights in the countries that the European bloc has chosen to finance, such as Libya and Tunisia. Italy signed partnership agreements with Libya in 2017, signed by the then Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni after negotiations conducted by the former Minister of the Interior Marco Minniti. The Italian government agreed to provide economic aid and technical support to the Libyan authorities for three years, to reduce migrant trafficking across the Mediterranean Sea. The Libyan state committed to improving the conditions of its migrant reception centers. The treaty, signed for three years, was renewed for another five years in November 2022, immediately after the start of the government led by the leader of the Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni.
Since the beginning of her mandate, the Italian Prime Minister has been personally and repeatedly committed to signing agreements with Tunisia. Again, among the key points of the agreements is the task for the nation led by President Kais Saied to stop irregular departures of migrants. Both Libya and Tunisia have been repeatedly denounced by humanitarian organizations for the exploitation of migrants and the serious conditions in which thousands of people are forced to live under the yoke of local authorities. The Court’s audit confirms these problems and criticizes the way in which the funds are managed.
“However, the Commission does not have formal procedures to report, record and follow up on alleged human rights violations linked to EU-funded projects,” the judges write. “For example, there is no system to demonstrate that complaints have been examined with due care and taken into account in deciding whether to continue or suspend EU support,” the rapporteurs point out, admitting that they are unable to confirm that all complaints have actually been followed up.
Lots of money spent but migrations continue
Already in 2018, the judges had published a preliminary report on the use of these funds amounting to 5 billion euros in contributions, in support of 27 African countries. Despite the huge resources invested, the Court stressed, “the figures of irregular migration to Europe are steadily increasing again, after a relative slowdown during the pandemic. The EU financing agreements establish in the general conditions that “the action must be suspended if the EU formally finds a violation of human rights”. The Court contested that this clause was ignored or in any case “was not systematically applied to all projects, in particular those relating to security, border management or other sensitive activities”.
Migrants with toothbrushes but no water
The main issues concern Libya, which despite the funds received by the Libyan Coast Guard and the special equipment financed by the Fund and delivered in 2021, “does not have a national coordination center for search and rescue and its coordination center for maritime rescue is not yet operational”. The judges also highlighted that humanitarian organizations have limited possibilities to access the places that should provide assistance to migrants.
Some returnees interviewed by the Court’s auditors admitted that they could not use some items received thanks to EU funds, such as toothbrushes and soap, because they did not have access to water. Finally, while the funds have slightly improved conditions in the centres where migrants are held, the (very poor) quality of treatment by the Libyan authorities has not changed.
The Collusion Between the Libyan Coast Guard and Traffickers
The judges also highlighted how boats and equipment supplied to the “Libyan coast guard” can end up in the hands of “actors other than the beneficiaries”, who are also capable of controlling the disembarkation points of migrants rescued at sea. But who are these actors? Reports by humanitarian organizations have been talking for years about smugglers and traffickers of human beings, who have close ties with the Libyan security apparatus. Their presence is also detected in detention centers, while the equipment paid for with European funds is sometimes resold, precisely to those criminal organizations that the 27 of the bloc say they want to fight.
