At least 34 African migrants are missing after a new boat sank off Tunisia, a judicial official told Reuters on Friday, the fifth boat to sink in two days that left 7 dead and about 67 missing.
This comes as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called today in Brussels to support Tunisia, which is facing a serious financial crisis, expressing fear that its difficulties will "provoke an unprecedented wave of migration" towards Europe.
"I raised the issue of Tunisia before the European Council, because not everyone is aware of the risks posed by the situation in Tunisia and the need to support stability in a country with major financial problems," Meloni told reporters, explaining that she also raised the issue during the bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Asked about a possible Italian-French mission to Tunisia with European Home Affairs Commissioner Ilva Johansson, Meloni said: "Yes, there is a mission at the level of foreign ministers, many at the moment are heading to Tunisia."
The prime minister, whose far-right government leans towards an anti-immigration approach, added: "If we don't deal with these problems appropriately, there is a risk of triggering an unprecedented wave of migration."
Georgia Meloni also discussed the situation in Tunisia with European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni, who "will go there in the coming days."
She stressed "the need to work at the diplomatic level to convince the parties, the IMF and the Tunisian government, to conclude a financial stability agreement."
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned on Monday that the situation in Tunisia was "extremely serious", even pointing to the risk of a state "collapse" that could "cause an influx of migrants towards the EU and cause instability in the Middle East and North Africa".
Tunisia denounced Borrell's comments as "disproportionate" to the situation.
Tunisia has been negotiating for months with the International Monetary Fund for a loan worth about two billion dollars, but discussions between the two sides seem to have stalled since the announcement of a preliminary agreement in mid-October.