Brussels, 12/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Union Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean Bernardino Leon travelled to Tunis at the end of last week for discussions with the country's main leaders. Following his meeting with Mustapha Ben Jaafar, Speaker of the National Constituent Assembly, which is currently debating the appointment of a new government, Leon said: “Europe stands shoulder to shoulder with Tunisia and supports the democratic institutions which will very shortly be put in place”, just as it “wants to establish new relations that are as ambitious as possible between the two parties”. He said the EU was “keeping a close eye on political developments in Tunisia”, a country which it sees as “the leader, forging ahead on the path to progress in all areas”. The EU has pledged to abide by the promises it has made to Tunisia. At the first meeting, attended by Catherine Ashton, of the task force that has been specifically put in place to oversee aid for Tunisia, two EU-Tunisia finance agreements, worth a total of €157 million (around 300 million dinars) were signed.
Ben Jaafar welcomed “the EU's pledge to make Tunisia an enhanced partner, despite the economic difficulties it faces”. Tunisia is expected to record a zero or negative growth rate at the end of 2011, leading probably to a slowing in job creation and a rise in unemployment, which is expected to rise above 18%, said the Governor of the Tunisian Central Bank (BCT). In May 2010, the unemployment rate stood at some 13%. (FB/transl.rt)