Externalising Migration Control in the Mediterranean Between Development Cooperation and Securitisation: EU and Italian Policies Towards Tunisia

This thesis critically analyses the evolution of the external dimension of European and Italian migration policies, focusing on the tension between securitisation and development cooperation in the Mediterranean. Through a qualitative analysis of legislative and policy documents, supported by the engagement with legal and political science literature, this research investigates how the EU and Italy outsource migration governance responsibilities to third countries. The study finds that the externalisation of migration management corresponds to a trans-governmental system that prioritises security objectives over humanitarian and development cooperation goals, both at the European and Italian level. Development cooperation is increasingly used as leverage for border control rather than assessing the root causes of the migration phenomenon. By examining the 2023 EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding, the thesis critically assesses the growing role of European Member States in the externalisation practice. Finally, it highlights how informal instruments allow actors to circumvent democratic oversight, at the expense of human rights, negatively affecting transparency and accountability.