Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002911/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Tineke Strik (Verts/ALE)
In June 2024, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was ordered to cease the registration of applicants for international protection in Tunisia, which it had been performing due to the absence of a formal asylum procedure. Instead, the authorities indicated that they would assume responsibility for registration. At the same time, the UNHCR’s implementing partner, the Tunisian Council for Refugees, is being criminalised through arrests and legal action.
- 1.Does the Commission agree that the ceasing of registration for international protection by the UNHCR leaves individuals with no remaining way to state their need for international protection – a fundamental right under international law – in Tunisia, and if not, what options can the Commission identify for an individual to apply for asylum?
- 2.How does the Commission consider that the memorandum of understanding with Tunisia, which includes provisions on and funding for migration management, complies with its obligations under Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union[1], given that the people who are intercepted by the Tunisian authorities cannot exercise their basic human rights if they are in need of international protection?
- 3.What efforts is the Commission making to ensure both the resumption of registration for international protection in Tunisia, and the protection of the UNHCR’s implementing partners?
Submitted: 16.7.2025
- [1] ‘The Union’s action on the international scene shall be guided by the principles which have inspired its own creation, development and enlargement, and which it seeks to advance in the wider world: democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity, the principles of equality and solidarity, and respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.’.
Last updated: 24 July 2025