Analysis: Tunisia brush-off augurs badly for EU push for African migration deals

"Mostly, these countries are not ready to handle it," said an EU official involved in the 27-nation bloc's foreign policy. Another EU official engaged in related international negotiations pointed to more risks: making the EU dependent on leaders criticised for abuse of human rights and democratic standards, and seen as bargaining hard for money. A deal with Turkey to curb immigration from there has cost the EU more than 9 billion euros since 2016. "Tunisia refuses to be a (migration) hotspot or a country of destination," migration researcher Fatma Raach said. "There will certainly be a push to do more," said one of the EU officials.