LEMMA – Working together for mobility

In 2014, 1.3 million Tunisians were living abroad, i.e. 12% of the population. Over 80% of them live in the European Union, which makes Tunisia an essential partner for the EU in the field of migration.

Furthermore, in recent years, Tunisia has become a country of transit and destination for migrants. Since 2011, it has been hosting a large number of Libyans, Syrians and Sub-Saharan Africans following regional conflicts. The country is aware of the role that migrations play in economic and social development and is currently preparing its National Migration Strategy.

The Lemma project was officially launched in late July 2016 and has three components. It consequently aims to:

• Build the capacities of the Tunisian authorities to manage labour migration and professional mobility via enhanced cooperation with their European partners;
• Improve knowledge about the main Tunisian communities in Europe and set up a targeted programme for the mobilisation of the diaspora’s skills in order to promote the integration of migration into local and regional development;
• Build the capacities of the Tunisian authorities and civil society organisations to provide support for the reintegration of people returning to the country;
• Address, in a forward-looking manner, the issue of the integration of migrants in Tunisia, and the issue of foreigners in Tunisia who may be interested in assistance with returning home.

The Lemma project ended in June 2019, after 3 years of close collaboration between the Tunisian institutions and partners from the Tunisian and European civil societies.

Component 1 aims to implement an action plan for labour migration and professional mobility, in line with the National Migration Strategy and the employment and vocational training policy. The Tunisian Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training is the main partner of the component.

This component provides for:

• Support for an action plan on labour migration and professional mobility;
• The promotion of legal channels to access the EU;
• The organisation of trade fairs;
• The identification of new markets for international investments;
• Awareness-raising on the rights of Tunisian seasonal workers.

Component 2 targets capacity building in mobilising the skills of Tunisians living abroad and in the integration of migration into local and regional development.

This component includes:

• The development of a mapping of Tunisians living in OECD countries;
• The analysis of best practices for the mobilisation of Tunisians living abroad;
• Direct assistance for actors who support the investments made by TRE;
• Institutional support for taking the migration phenomenon into account in local and regional development processes.

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is providing the long-term expertise for this component.

Component 3 aims to allow the relevant Tunisian authorities to become directly involved in the reintegration of migrants returning home.

This involves:

• Strengthening actors in economic and social reintegration;
• Assisting in the definition and development of a roadmap for return and reintegration;
• Building the capacities of the responsible Tunisian public entities;
• Setting up a pilot project to pool return/reintegration mechanisms;
• Exchanges of experiences concerning the reception of migrants in Tunisia.  

The French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) is coordinating the activities of Component 3.

The European Union is mobilising a budget of EUR 5 million via the development cooperation financing instrument (DCI), while Member States of the consortium (Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden) are providing their contribution in the form of public expertise, which is the main tool for the Lemma project.

This innovative approach allows resources to be pooled in order to offer cooperation between peers, i.e. between European and Tunisian public administrations. International private expertise may also be called on.

Expertise France is coordinating the project and is mobilising the public expertise of Member States in response to the needs of Tunisian institutions.