European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Tuesday called on Tunisia to take back thousands of illegal migrants who have arrived in Italy since January and to take measures to tighten its borders, dpa reported.
Barroso was speaking during a one-day visit to the north African country which has experienced an exodus of unemployed youth in recent months.
"Migration must be seen as a common challenge, a shared responsibility," Barroso told a press conference after meeting with interim Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi.
"We expect strong, clear action from Tunisia in accepting the readmission of its nationals who are illegally in Europe, as well as in combatting illegal migration," Barroso, who also met with interim President Fouad Mebazaa said.
More than 21,000 jobless Tunisians have arrived in Italy - the nearest European country to Tunisia - since the revolution that toppled president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January.
Barroso said the revolution was "a great inspiration for the whole of the Arab world".
But it had also created high expectations among Tunisians in terms of job creation and development, he acknowledged.
"Europe is with you. And we will stay with you," he vowed.
If Tunisia made more of an effort to stem the flow of migrants, the EU would help out with "additional means", beyond the extra 140 million euros (202 million dollars) which the Commission planned to add to its Tunisia aid budget, he said.
His visit comes a week after Italy announced it would begin issuing Tunisian migrants with temporary permits allowing them cross into France and other countries within the 25-nation Schengen Area.
Italy, which had tried, but failed to convince Tunisia to take back large numbers of the migrants on a voluntary basis, says most of the immigrants wish to join relatives living in France.
France's centre-right government has hit back, saying the permits alone are not enough to guarantee access to French territory.
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