EU considering major Tunisia aid package as migration surges

FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gives a news conference ahead of the G20 Summit and the COP26 U.N. Climate Change Conference, in Brussels, Belgium, October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

TUNIS (Reuters) -The European Union said on Sunday it may loan Tunisia over 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) to help develop its battered economy, rescue state finances and deal with a migration crisis, with most funds contingent on it agreeing economic reforms.

The offer was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a visit to Tunisia along with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is anxious about migration across the Mediterranean.