The president of the European Parliament proposed Monday the establishment of a “Marshall Plan” that would facilitate economic and social development in Africa and thereby reduce the flow of migrants toward Europe.
At the start of a two-day official visit to Tunisia, Antonio Tajani also insisted that cooperation with North African coastal nations on issues such as terrorism, border control and de-radicalization was key to European security.
Evoking the program – named for Secretary of State George Marshall – that saw the United States pour billions of dollars into Western Europe to spur recovery after World War II, Tajani said that his proposal calls for the European Union to make an initial investment in Africa of at least 40 billion euros ($46.5 billion).
That sum, he said, could be used to leverage as much 400 billion euros in private investment in African development.
He stressed the importance of understanding the real reasons that lead thousands – and soon millions – of people to flee their countries for Europe, including climate change, desertification, famine, drought, war and poverty.
The Italian politician likewise cited projections that by 2050, Africa will home to a population of 2.5 billion people, and he said that those people should be given a chance to build futures in their own countries.
Tajani argued that peace, stability and employment is what young Africans need to prevent them from being pushed to embrace extremism or migration.
He spoke to reporters in the corridors of the Tunisian parliament, where he met with speaker Mohamed Ennaceur and addressed lawmakers and European ambassadors.
In his speech, Tajani defended pragmatism and economic diplomacy as pillars in the fight against illegal migration and pointed to bilateral cooperation as an antidote to radicalization and terrorism.
The president of the European Parliament said that the problem of migration cannot be solved by walls, but only through a joint European and African strategy at the political level.
He concluded by thanking Tunisia, a transit country for migrants, for its efforts to bring peace to Libya, which is crucial for the issue of migration as well as for the stability of the Mediterranean region.
Following the visit to parliament, Tajani visited Bardo National Museum to pay respects to the 22 victims of the March 2015 attack perpetrated by Islamic State.
On Tuesday, Tajani is set to meet Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi.
EFE Agency
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