In a report released on Wednesday (25 September), the European Court of Auditors (ECA) revealed that the European Commission has failed to adequately address human rights risks associated with the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.
The EU set up the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) in response to the 2015 migration crisis to target the root causes of irregular migration and better manage migration flows.
However, the fund, established under the broader 2015 Agenda for Migration, drew sharp criticism from non-governmental organisations for seemingly prioritising EU leaders’ focus on border control over asylum seekers’ welfare.
The ECA report confirms its previous findings, including the 2018 conclusion that the design of the EUTF needed to be more targeted and focused.
“The Trust Fund continued to address a too wide range of development, humanitarian and security actions, not all of which were the most urgent,” said Bettina Jakobsen, European Court of Auditor’s responsible for the report.
By the end of 2023, the EUTF had allocated €4.5 billion of its €5 billion fund. However, the efficient allocation of funds appears to be a systemic issue. The ECA report highlights that the EUTF’s governing bodies have not adequately assessed beneficiaries’ needs or considered the potential human rights risks of the initiatives.
For example, the report found that the Commission lacks sufficient procedures for recording and addressing allegations of human rights violations.
“Ten programme officers responding to our audit survey stated that they had reported allegations of human rights violations to other colleagues,” however, the Commission, at headquarters level, had a record of “only one such allegation,” continued Jakobsen.
Migration flows from Africa to the EU have fluctuated over the years, peaking between 2014 and 2016.
After a decrease due to the Covid-19 pandemic, migration to Europe has been steadily rising again. As a response, the EU have taken steps toward forging agreements with Northern African countries to address these challenges.
In July 2023, the European Union and Tunisia signed a deal to provide the Tunisian government with financial aid to curb migrant departures from Tunisia’s shores.
Moreover, in March 2024, the EU solidified its commitment to the regional migration strategy in North Africa by signing a €7 billion agreement with Egypt to help manage migrant flows and boost the economy until 2027.
[Edited by Martina Monti]
Source: euractiv.com
