EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: European Parliament committee probes human rights in EU-Southern Neighbourhood deals ― EU approves €4 billion aid to Egypt ― Sudanese refugees fleeing Egypt ― Italian NGOs demand end to Italy-Libya co-operation ― EU allocates €202…

• The European Parliament (EP) Subcommittee on Human Rights has organised a public hearing on the human rights implications of the EU’s memoranda of understanding (MoU) with its partners in the Southern Neighbourhood.
• The EP has approved €4 billion in macro-financial assistance for Egypt.
• A new investigative report has highlighted the growing number of Sudanese refugees who are leaving Egypt and following dangerous migration routes through Libya and across the Mediterranean to Europe.
• A group of NGOs has launched a campaign demanding the revocation of the Italy-Libya MoU.
• The European Commission has allocated €202 million to the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Authority.
• UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has warned that the agency is in the midst of a severe cash flow crisis.
• The Council of Europe’s human rights monitoring body has raised serious concerns about a sharp rise in hate crimes in Türkiye.
• An NGO has criticised authorities in Tunisia for their ongoing silence regarding the rising number of deaths of people on the move along the country’s eastern coastline.

The European Parliament (EP) Subcommittee on Human Rights has organised a public hearing on the human rights implications of the EU’s memoranda of understanding (MoU) with its partners in the Southern Neighbourhood. Participants in the  25 June hearing, which had a particular focus on the EU’s financial support to Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania and Tunisia, discussed practical steps to strengthen the human rights safeguards in the various agreements, including improving accountability, creating transparent monitoring systems and considering the suspension or  redirecting of EU funding if there is credible evidence of human rights violations.

The EP has approved €4 billion in macro-financial assistance for Egypt. The latest financing decision comes after a short-term loan of up to €1 billion was disbursed at the end of 2024. According to an EP press release on 18 June, the release of the latest funds is dependent on Egypt’s satisfactory implementation of an International Monetary Fund programme, as well as other policy measures to be outlined in an MoU between the EU and the Egyptian authorities. In response, Dutch Green MEP Tineke Strik has called on the European Commission (EC) to specify the concrete actions that Egypt has taken to advance democratic processes, uphold the rule of law and protect human rights. Referring to Article 2(1) and Article 8(1) of the decision, Strik posted on social media: “It is both a legal and moral obligation for the Commission to ensure that this funding goes hand in hand with true human rights improvements, and doesn’t become a carte blanche to Sisi”.

A new investigative report has highlighted the growing number of Sudanese refugees who are leaving Egypt and following dangerous migration routes through Libya and across the Mediterranean to Europe. According to the report by the Reuters press agency, the trend is largely driven by Egypt’s crackdown on people who have fled the ongoing civil war in Sudan. It quotes data published by Libyan migration authorities, which show that, as of January 2025, between 20,000 and 25,000 Sudanese people had entered Libya via Egypt since the start of the conflict in April 2023. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has also reported a 134% increase in the number of Sudanese arrivals in Europe during the first five months of 2025 compared to the equivalent period in the previous year. Elsewhere, the first AIDA country report on Egypt, which was written by the NGO Refuges Platform in Egypt and published by ECRE, has highlighted the increasing hardships faced by refugees in Egypt, including strict residency requirements, frequent deportations and limited access to work and essential services.

A group of NGOs has launched a campaign demanding the revocation of the Italy-Libya MoU. At a press conference in the Italian Parliament on 20 June, the NGOs, which include Refugees in Libya, Amnesty International Italy, and SOS MEDITERRANEE, stated that the agreement has resulted in thousands of deaths, violent pushbacks and widespread human rights abuses against people on the move. They have also urged the Italian government to cancel the MoU before its scheduled renewal in November. “We demand that the Italian and EU governments immediately terminate the Memorandum and all co-operation with Libya,” said the head of Refugees in Libya, David Yambio, adding: “Whatever good intentions may have been behind this agreement, it has failed in humanity”.

On 23 June, the EC allocated €202 million to the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Authority. The funding is part of the €1.6 billion Comprehensive and Multiannual Programme for Palestine’s Recovery and Resilience which will cover the period 2025-2027. The announcement came on the same day as the EU Foreign Affairs Council discussed the review of Israel’s compliance with the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

A day after the EC announcement, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that the agency was in the midst of a severe cash flow crisis. He told journalists in Berlin that UNRWA was facing a US$200 million deficit and that he may soon be forced to make an “unprecedented decision” that could significantly impact the agency’s humanitarian, health and educational services across the Palestinian territories and in neighbouring countries (i.e. Jordan, Lebanon and Syria).

The Council of Europe’s human rights monitoring body has raised serious concerns about a sharp rise in hate crimes in Türkiye. In its sixth monitoring report, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) noted that hate speech is now “widespread” in Turkish media and political discourse, often targeting minority groups including Kurds, non-Muslims, refugees and the LGBTQI+ community. A number of civil society organisations have informed ECRI that efforts to combat hate speech are not only ignored but are often met with hostility from the government. Although ECRI has noted some positive developments such as increased training for law enforcement on hate crimes, it has found that they have not yet been translated into tangible changes in practice. The organisation makes two priority recommendations to the Turkish authorities: develop a comprehensive national anti-hate strategy through a dedicated working group, and enhance collaboration with and resource support for municipalities managing large refugee populations.

An NGO has criticised authorities in Tunisia for their ongoing silence regarding the rising number of deaths of people on the move along the country’s eastern coastline. A spokesperson for the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) has described the situation as a “true humanitarian emergency” after dozens of bodies – mainly of people who had tried to cross the Mediterranean by irregular means – were discovered on shores near Sfax and Mahdia. Romdhane Ben Amor also accused the authorities of maintaining a “conspiracy of silence,” due to their failure to publicly account for the deaths or to provide clear information on the number of victims. He had specific criticisms for the Tunisian coast guard whose practices, including physical assaults dangerous manoeuvres and ineffective rescue operations, he blamed for increasing the risks faced by people trying to cross the Mediterranean.

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