Italy's Democratic Party (PD) has spoken out against the 'strategic partnership' Memorandum of Understanding signed by Tunisia and the European Union in Tunis earlier this week.

"The agreement between the EU and Tunisia is an attempt to outsource borders without taking into account respect for democracy and human rights," PD secretary Elly Schlein said.

The EU government has defended the agreement -- in a hearing before the European Parliament, Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson spoke in favor of it.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, who is preparing to hold a conference on migration on July 23 in Rome, has also expressed satisfaction with the deal.

Tunisian president to take part in Rome conference

The Tunis-EU agreement will be discussed at the Rome summit.

The Italian government will be able to count on the presence of several Mediterranean-area heads of state and government from both the European and North African sides of the sea. Meloni has also invited the heads of EU institutions, and European Council President Charles Michel has reportedly said unofficially that he will attend.

It remains to be seen whether Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will take part.

Cairo, as part of the EU and Italian strategy, may be the second receiver of a partnership agreement similar to the Tunisian deal.

Meeting with Stoltenberg

Meloni also spoke with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg earlier this week. The Italian prime minister, who landed in Brussels on Monday, had a long working dinner with Stoltenberg for a wide-ranging exchange of views on NATO challenges only a few days prior to Meloni's planned trip to Washington DC on July 27.

Stock was taken with Stoltenberg about NATO's southern front, which ended up in the shadows after the war in Ukraine began and which nonetheless remains delicate due to endemic instability in some parts of North Africa and the Sahel.

Italy on front line for monitoring southern front

On the issue of monitoring the southern front, Italy has already ensured that it will be ready to act, given that it sees the security of the Mediterranean and Saharan areas as one of the best antidotes to irregular migration.

The chapter on migrant flows in the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Saied aims in this direction.

Brussels intends to go forward quickly on the ratification and implementation of the agreement.

Meanwhile, in Tunis, local NGOs announced a counter-summit to be held today and tomorrow (June 20-21) addressing "the freedom, dignity, and rights of everyone", while the Saied government announced plans to strengthen its border with Libya to prevent the entrance of irregular migrants and once again denied that any police abuse is inflicted on detained migrants.